


Thrown From Reality

by LANESLASH



Series: Life Hops [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Adult Content, Genderbending, Ghouls, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-06-14 18:18:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15394614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LANESLASH/pseuds/LANESLASH
Summary: (Y/N) (L/N) is just an average kid, good grades, and a good life. He's also an fan of anime, specifically, Tokyo Ghoul; it just interests him. What happens, when his interest his taken to the next level?





	1. New Life, New Rules

All I remember is sitting on my couch, with some popcorn, watching the entire first season of Tokyo Ghoul. My parents were out doing grocery shopping, so I had the house to myself. I'd started the first episode; Kaneki got bitten by Rize, nearly dying.

 

Now, I'm in a black pit. I can't feel anything, and I can't hear anything. I don't know when I am, nor do I know what's going on.

 

Suddenly, I feel a pain, and intense one, that can't even be described. I want to scream, but I can't. A very bright light engulfs my vision, as I'm forced to close my eyes. I finally begin to scream, but something's off with my voice. It's not my normal one. It's almost babylike. Like squeals, a rubber duck, being squeezed. After a few seconds, I calmed down, as the pain quickly subsided.

 

Slowly opening my eyes to finally see the room around me, a white room, with hints of grey in it. I could hear heavy breathing, but I couldn't tell which direction it came from.

 

"It's a girl." I heard, being moved to someone. The breathing was now coming from whoever I was being passed onto. Looking up, I saw a woman with long, dark red hair, and green eyes. I looked to her right, and saw a man, with short, black hair, and hazel eyes, both smiling at me. I didn't recognize these people, who were they? Was I being born? Did something happen to me?

 

"She's beautiful." The green-eyed woman said. Wait, she? Did this lady just call me a she? "Eyes green like yours, dark emerald." The man said.

 

"What will you name her?" That man asked, a knowing grin on his face. The woman chuckled at him, before turning her gaze to me.

 

"Rei. Ishikawa Rei." The woman said. I looked at her with scrunched up eyebrows, or what I would have for them, considering I'm now a baby. It was also now, the room began to smell weird. Something pleasant. It came from everyone, except this woman, that I assumed was my mother, but I paid no mind to it.

 

* * *

 

After my 'birth' I was put into a nursery for five days, which were the longest five days of my life. Being a (Y/A) year old in a baby's body was certainly not a pleasant experience, and I won't go into much detail.

 

However, I was eventually taken by the people whom I had to accept as my parents, as they took me home. I don't know why, but every day, without fail, the person that would be my father came in to give me a pill. When I first refused, he said I had to take it, or else our family would be in grave danger. Even though he thought I didn't understand, I took it anyway, and he always left with haste.

 

Now, we were at home, and once we were in, I was brought to a room, and set down in a crib.

 

'You are  _not_ leaving me here.' I thought, as I began to make noises of displeasure. The woman, who's name I learned was Kyoko, leaned over to me, smiling gently.

 

"It's okay, I'll be back." And with that, she left.

 

Have I really begun a new life?


	2. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now born somewhere else, (Y/N) (L/N), now Rei Ishikawa, will quickly learn that this world is no ordinary one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are going to be slightly short, as they start the story up. They will get longer in later chapters, promise ! ^^

Two years. That's how long I've been here... two fucking years, though it feels like ages. Being a (Y/A) year-old stuck in a two-year old's body was the absolute most horrifying thing a human can think of, capability wise. My hair started to grow out, black, like my fathers'.

 

The fact of learning language wasn't hard, it was that fact that the language was Japanese, and therefore came with more rules, but other than that, speaking was relatively easy.

 

In fact, right now, I was on front of Kyoko, which I guess I should start calling her 'oka-sama' from now on, was teaching me to say exactly that.

 

"Oka-sama." She said, wanting me to repeat it. This was the first time she'd said it to me, and I was about to impress her to high hell.

 

"Oka-sama." I repeated, as her eyes lit up. She lifted me up and spun my around, making me dizzy. She suddenly set me down, running to the hallway door, leaning out of if.

 

"Anata! Come!" She yelled across the house. I could hear some faint footsteps rushing over to the room, getting louder, before a panicked Akashi came to the door, looking around.

 

"Kyoko?" He asked, confused. She looked towards me, a smile on her features.

 

"Go on Rei, say it." She caringly nudged.

 

"Oka-sama?" I said, as Akashi's eyes lit up as well. Is this how  _my_ parents reacted when I said my first words?

 

"Oh, great job! Can she say Ota-sama yet?" He asked, a playful ring to his voice, his eyes laced with fake jealousy. Kyoko just smiled.

 

"I think the one teaching her deserves some recognition first." She joked, as she and Akashi shared a small chuckle together.

 

"Of course, forget the one that pays for everything." Akashi mocked, feigning a feeling of being insulted. Kyoko just stared blankly at him, as Akashi smiled sheepishly, stepping backwards out of the room.

 

"Heh, heh... I'll be out in the living room." He said, his footsteps departing. Kyoko sighed after a few seconds, a small chuckle coming from her, before she turned to me.

 

"Okay, to stop his complaining, let's go over Ota-sama now." She declared, walking towards me.

 

"Ota-sama." I said blankly, smiling at her. Her jaw dropped, before she ran back to the hallway door.

 

"Anata! Come back!"


	3. Sibling?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a few months later, after some more learning, Rei is told, she might have a little sibling. Not only that, but now, she truly learns where she is.

It's been five months since my birthday came and went. I learned it was on March 2nd, after my first. It's the tenth of August right now, and I was back in the tatami room, kneeling in front of my mother, in seiza, which was basically just kneeling, while keeping your body straight.

 

"Okay, I think that's enough for now. Do you want something to eat?" She asked. I was taken aback at first. Eat? I'd only ever gotten anything from a bottle. I nodded enthusiastically, of course I wanted some actual solid food. She gave me a small smile, before she got up, walking away.

 

'Food.' I thought. 'Real food.' A few minutes later, Kyoko came back with a plate, some rice-balls on them. I gave her a questioning look, as she smiled to me. I pointed to her, before asking, "Food?" She shook her head at me, before responding, "No darling, go ahead.". I looked at the food, and gave her another questioning look. She seemed to pick up on what I meant, and chuckled slightly. "They're onigiri, darling. Go ahead, try one." She ushered. I picked one up with both hands, as I put it to my mouth, biting into it.

 

My eyes lit up at the taste of it sweet treat, as I scarfed it down. Kyoko looked shocked for a second, before she began to laugh. "Well, you can eat that at least." She exclaimed. I looked at her in confusion again, wondering what she meant by that, but Kyoko just brushed it off. "It's nothing darling, keep eating." She said, as I nodded, eating one after the other.

 

"Okay you little animal, calm down." Kyoko said, taking the plate from me, as she walked off to the kitchen. I waited a few minutes, looking around the room. It was really just a tatami mat, with some sliding doors, and a small chabudai in the middle, that had a flower vase in the middle. It was quite beautiful.

 

My ears picked up the sound of faint chatter. Straining my ears to understand the words, I could make out the conversation.

 

"What? What do you mean?" It was the voice of Akashi, and he sounded confused, yet there was an underlying tone of concern and worry to his voice.

 

"It must be me. I've been going to the same spot recently, so it must be attracting Ghoul Investigators." I heard Kyoko state, guilt flowing through her words. My curiosity was immediately ramped up from zero to one-hundred. Ghoul Investigators? That can't mean...

 

"Okay, it's fine. You have nothing to worry about. Do you know any details?" Akashi asked. "No. There's been an increase of Ghoul activities, not to mention infighting, so the CCG's dispatched quite a few division here." Kyoko responded. "Okay, as far as I'm concerned, they don't suspect us. Remember, you've done nothing wrong, and you have no choice but to do what you do." Akashi comforted Kyoko. Is my mother a Ghoul?! So... what's my father then? It would explain the pills he had to shove in my mouth shortly after my birth. So, does that mean I'm a Ghoul, too? It makes sense, why else am I hearing this? How else can I hear their footsteps, and tell who it is? It could be because I've gotten so used to them, but now, I'm almost sure I know where I am, now.

 

"What about Rei? If they catch wind of us, of  _me_ , we'll be lucky if we don't have Doves scouring all of Tokyo, or Japan for us!" Kyoko whisper-yelled, yet I could still hear their conversation. The fact that I could do so only proved my theory, and now I was truly interested. I didn't want to move, in case one of them detected my footsteps. I noticed the shadow of a bird, coming through the light of a ranma panel. Looking towards it, I saw a white dove. It was staring towards the source of Akashi and Kyoko, as if listening in on them, however, when it noticed my stare on it, it took off.

 

'Odd' I thought to myself. My head snapped to the sound of approaching footsteps, Kyoko's footsteps. She seemed slightly stressed, and provided me a smile, which I'd returned.

 

" Okay, I think that's enough for a bit. Come." She said, nodding her head to herself, as I got up off the tatami mat, going towards her.

 

"Ghoul." I stated simply, as Kyoko looked to me in shock, for a few seconds, before returning to her smile.

 

"Yes sweetie, we are... I'll tell you more when you're older, but..." She trailed off, looking away, before looking back to me. "You cannot tell, _anyone_ , okay?" She asked, as I nodded. While my speaking still wasn't the best, my understanding was decent, at least. With a final smile, Kyoko nodded to me, before standing up, taking me by the hand to the living room, which was actually the only modern looking area in the entire house, besides the bathroom and the kitchen. Actually... the tatami room was the only traditional-styled room in the house, never mind. She sat down on the couch in the middle of the room, sitting me on her lap, as Akashi looked towards the two of us with a smile.

 

"Due to an increase in Ghoul activity in the Thirteenth Ward, the CCG has dispatched an estimated number of eight divisions in the ward. While the area has been known to house many Ghouls, more than other wards, it already has a high CCG presence, but the violent streaks that have been occurring, and the costly destruction caused by the creatures, has led to the CCG beginning to take extreme actions. I'm joined today my First Class Investigator Hirota Shigeru. Thank you for joining us today, Mister Shigeru." The woman said, as a man in a silver suit appeared on screen. He nodded, the words 'thank you for having me.' leaving his mouth.

 

"Maybe the Twentieth was a good idea, has so much less activity in it." Akashi said, almost in a dazed state as he looked as the TV. Kyoko chuckled at him, causing Akashi to turn in head in confusion. "There's a reason for that." She stated simply. Akashi looked at her for a second, confusion still etched on his face, before he hummed, looking back at the news. So does that mean Anteiku exists by now? Considering the awful quality of this television, I'm going to be safe, and assume that it's the early two-thousands, so possibly.

 

"So, what do you have to tell us about the incidents that have begun since this year began?" The woman on the TV asked.

 

"Well the Ghouls in this area seemed to have formed small groups, gangs, if you will. We know that they're fighting each other for complete control over the Thirteenth Ward, as their was seems to boil down to a 'feeding ground' problem." The investigator responded.

 

"And what exactly it a feeding ground, Mister Shigeru?" The man took in a deep breath, before continuing. "A feeding ground is a set area that a Ghoul, or sets of Ghouls visit when they must satisfy their hunger, which, of course, means spots where humans are. Think of it like a pack of wolves, and their territory; when another pack steps in and tries to take it over, a bloody fight ensues until one wins. It seems that some of these gangs have been fighting over them, along with ward control. Feeding grounds have also been identified so far by us in the CCG as: Where there is a plentiful supply of humans, and where they can be secluded enough to kill one without attracting too much attention." The woman on screen nodded, before she began to speak.

 

"Thank you, and thank you for being on the show with us today." She thanked, as the man nodded once more, a smile on his face. I could feel the tense air in the room, as Akashi and Kyoko shared uneasy glances.

 

"I believe it's time we moved to the twentieth." Akashi offered, looking over to Kyoko, who looked down to me, concerned. "Moving so fast after this news? They'll get suspicious." She countered. "Ah, we've been planning to move for a while, anyway, might as well make it now. Besides, we've got a great excuse, we don't want to raise our child in such a hostile environment. Or... hehe." Akashi chuckled at the end, making Kyoko send a sharp glance towards him, making him shrink slightly. I looked between the two of them in confusion, as they looked to me. Akashi leaned forward, elbows on his knees, as he spoke with a smile. "You're gonna have a little sibling, Rei."


	4. Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now excited to have a little sibling, never getting the chance to have one in his old life, Rei looks forward to not only the one she will have to take care of, but the move to the Twentieth Ward, as well. A new problem, however, presents itself.

It had been two months since I learned I'd have a sibling. Two months and nine days, actually. Thank God I could still keep track of time. During that time, also, Kyoko had taught me to read many words, and I was doing quite well, especially in the speaking department. Both Akashi and Kyoko were surprised at how much I learned, so fast. If I'm not big sister material for this, then I don't know what counts!

 

Speaking of big sister, the pregnancy on Kyoko had become slightly more evident, her stomach bulging more. They could tell I was excited, and I truly was. I'd never had a sibling, older, nor younger in my old life, so I was also nervous if I'd be a good sister.

 

I was currently watching Akashi, as he paced around the kitchen, a phone in his hands, as he talked with someone over the phone; the people on the phone were most likely movers, and he was setting arrangements.

 

"Honey, let's leave your father for now." I heard Kyoko say behind me. I was so focused on Akashi, I'd hadn't even noticed Kyoko creep up behind me. I nodded as she brought me to the living room, where some shows were on. Not the news for once. It was instead a children's show, pretty much anime-styled. Something about morals and good behavior.

 

After a few minutes, Akashi stepped into the living room, hands behind his head, as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Stressed?" Kyoko asked, as calming smile on her face. Akashi ran a hand through his hair, sighing with a smile, before he spoke.

 

"They said that because of the amount of people wanting to up and out of the Thirteenth Ward, they could get to us by the end of the year, at most. They have their hands full with a lot of people, and depending on how hard they work, they could get to us by the middle of December." He responded, as Kyoko nodded understandingly. My face was turned towards the TV, pretending to be interested, but my ears were focused on the conversation. After a while, though, my thoughts drifted to the dove I saw two months ago. Why was it there? Was it listening in on the conversation, like I was? Why did it take off as soon as it saw me staring at it?

 

"Rei." The voice of Kyoko brought me out of my trance, as I turned my head to her, the hair on the top of my head ruffling slightly. My hair had actually grown a decent amount. Not exactly long yet, but it was enough to cover my head. It was the average hair that a two-year old would have on their head. "We might have to be here a little while longer, okay?" She asked, as I nodded, an understanding smile on my face, as Kyoko chuckled. "Certainly a quiet one." She stated, as Akashi nodded in agreement.

 

"She'll be a great sister." He said, as Kyoko hummed. The smile on my face grew, as my confidence about myself was shot up pretty high. Both Akashi and Kyoko laughed at my expression. "Well, she certainly likes to hear that." Akashi laughed, as he calmed down.

 

"Come Rei, let's go outside for a bit. The day's still young, might as well." Kyoko stated beckoning me to follow her, as I trailed behind, Akashi walking past me, to turn the TV to the news, once more.

 

Opening a sliding door, Kyoko brought me to a small chair underneath our patio, in the backyard. It was quite beautiful; a flowerbed, filled with multiple vines and plants of varying colors, that reflected the sunlight, almost like rainbow, and even some plants had fruits hanging from them. Kyoko let out a sigh through her nose, as she looked around the backyard. She sat down, me on her lap, as always.

 

"It's a shame we have to leave this all behind. We can make more, I guess. At least the people that are crazy enough to buy this house will get a nice garden." She solemnly said. I looked around, taking in the sight. I'd been here once before, but now this would be the last time I would see it.

 

I know this will sound cheesy, but I've grown to this. This life, and the people who are now my mother and father. I leaned back into Kyoko, my eyes still taking in the sights again, as a warm breeze slowly crept through. I could feel Kyoko begin to settle in, as well, but the pleasure didn't last long, as we heard a knock at the door. Both my eyes and Kyoko's snapped open, as we both listened to Akashi's footsteps go to our front door.

 

Opening it, we heard his voice ring out. "Oh, hello! May I help you?" He greeted. "Yes sir, I am First Class Investigator Ozaki Yoko, and these two are Second Rank Matsumura Ota, and Second Rank Chida Namito. We would like to ask you a few questions, regarding recent events." A deep voice rang. I could feel Kyoko tense up, as her breath caught in her throat, her arms wrapping around me.

 

"Of course! Please, come in." Akashi invited them inside, as three sets of footsteps were heard entering the house, before the sound of a door closing was heard. "Would you three like anything to drink? We have many options." Akashi asked the trio of Doves as they walked to our kitchen. "No thank you, we're not thirsty." The voice that I'd now associated with Yoko Ozaki responded. "That's fine, please, take a seat." One, two, three, then four chairs were pulled out, one by one. Akashi was obviously the one pulled them out for his guests, now. A small 'thank you' was heard, as the four sat down. Kyoko hadn't moved, but I could tell she was listening, as I was.

 

"Ota?" Yoko asked, as some rustling of paper was heard. The sound of someone clearing their throat was heard, before an unfamiliar voice, most likely belonging to 'Ota', spoke up.

 

"Now-forgive us for the intrusion-, but you are one of many individuals seeking an escape from the Thirteenth Ward, due to it's increasing hostilities to both humans, and Ghoul residents alike. We wanted to know an exact reason for your move, sir, aside from personal safety." A younger voice interrogated. "Oh, that's easy. My wife and I have a two-year old daughter, and we're expecting another. I can't have my family living under such an environment." Akashi easily answered. "They're sitting in the backyard right now. We've got a forest for one, so my wife wanted to enjoy it more before we move." Akashi answered.

 

"Hmm, may we see them?" Yoko asked. "Yes." Was the short reply of Akashi, as all four men stood up, walking towards the backyard door. Kyoko immediately laid back in the chair, gliding a hand down over my face, signaling for me to close my eyes, which I did. The door opened, and I felt Kyoko shift, which to play along, made me 'slowly' open my eyes.

 

"Oh, hello!" Kyoko greeted, preparing to stand, but was immediately stopped. "No, no, please sit." Yoko said, making Kyoko settle back into the chair, as the three investigators looked around. "You truly do have a beautiful garden." Yoko complimented. "Thank you! Eight years went into this." Akashi explained, Yoko nodding. "Well then, sorry to have taken up your time." Yoko apologized, bowing, as the did other two, Akashi returning the gesture. "It's quite fine, you three are just doing your jobs." Akashi stated, as he led the three men out. Once the door had closed, and he was certain they were gone, he came to the backyard, looking at us with a serious expression.

 

"We have to get out of here as soon as possible." He stated as Kyoko nodded.


	5. New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally moved into the Twentieth Ward, the Ishikawa family settles in, and with a new arrival expected very soon, Rei almost can't contain her excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I put too much thought into the dates... XD (Edit: The dates are being rearranged so that Rei is born in 2001, not 1999. If there are any inconsistencies you find that don't match up with the new dates, please tell me.)

I looked around as I took in the sights of the Twentieth Ward. There were so many people, that it literally took five minutes to get from one street to another! Then again, due to the docile nature of the ward, it must attract many people. I took in the sight of every shop, and every market I could see, as their lights took over the nights' emptiness. This was our new home, now. The rain that

 

"Okay, here's the place we'll be staying a bit." Akashi stated as we pulled up to a hotel. Kyoko and Akashi quickly got out, Kyoko going to my side of the car, opening the door, and taking me in her arms, before closing the car door, as Akashi grabbed some luggage from the trunk, before the two of them rushed into the hotel, to get out of the rain.

 

"Oh, hello!" The receptionist greeted, as Akashi waved towards him. "Ah hello, we would like a room, if you have any open." Akashi said, as the young boy typed something into a computer. "Ah, yes! We have one room available, on the... eight floor." The boy said, looking towards Akashi with a smile. "Oh, thank you." Akashi thanked, as he paid the Yen necessary to get the keys to the room.

 

Walking up the stairs to the eight floor, Kyoko had me in her arms the entire time, as I held onto her. Entering the room, Akashi set luggage off to the side, as Kyoko entered.

 

"Okay, get settled in, we'll be here a bit." Akashi stated, before leaning into Kyoko. "You ate before we left, right?" His voice barely above a whisper, as Kyoko nodded, Akashi returning the gesture. Kyoko set me on a bed, before she helped Akashi unpack, despite his protests. She even did her famous blank stare, and that didn't stop him. After a full minute of back and forth from them, Kyoko gave in. I looked on in shock. It was the first actual stare-down she'd lost!

 

'Woman, what are you doing?!' I shouted in my mind.

 

* * *

 

_**~ One Month Time-Skip: December 12th, 2003 ~** _

 

Kyoko took in a deep breath, as she entered the new house. After a month of living in a hotel, and Akashi doing work from home, which I still had no idea what he did, we entered out newly furnished house.

 

"Great, isn't it?" Akashi asked, wrapping an arm around Kyoko, as she leaned into him, humming in agreement.

 

"I hope to high hell things will be more peaceful here." He mumbled to himself, before Kyoko responded. "Trust me, it will." She said, making Akashi give her a look of confusion, as Kyoko gave him a smile. Kyoko brought me to a room, setting me down on a small bed, that was next to her and Akashi's. I guess she wasn't ready to let me sleep in a different room, yet. Akashi was leaned on the doorframe, to what I was pretty sure was going to be our bedroom.

 

"You know, that bed will have to be placed in a different room soo-" Akashi was cut off by Kyoko shushing him, holding up a finger, which just caused him to laugh. Kyoko turned back to be, a smile on her face. "Don't listen to him, darling." She cooed, as I giggled at her, making her giggle, as well.

 

"You excited for the newcomer?" Akashi asked, as Kyoko looked to him, a light in her eyes, as she nodded. I smiled as well, causing him Akashi to chuckle at me. "I think Rei wants her sibling already." He stated.

 

'Yes please!' I thought.

 

"Well, I'm going to see if I can't get the electricity set up, maybe the TV working, too." Akashi said, getting off the wall, but not before Kyoko stopped him from speaking. "Oh? Can't go a day without the news on, can you?" She asked, a teasing tone in her voice. Akashi turned to her, smiling. "You know me so well." He said, doing a stadium bow, before leaving the room. Kyoko rolled her eyes to the door, before looking to me.

 

"He's a special one." She said, making me giggle once more.


	6. Aya Ishikawa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months of waiting, Rei finally gets to see her baby sibling. More accurately, her baby sister whose name is: Aya Ishikawa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't going to be too good, and in the next chapter, there will be a five year timeskip. This is also going to be short, but the next one will be longer!

My father sat with me in an E.R room, his leg jittering, as he held onto me. It was one of the few times that _h_ _e_ was the one to take me in his arms, as most other times, it was Kyoko to do so. That, and she wouldn't let him, claiming he would drop me. I was three now, as the date was currently May Twelfth. My sibling was due any moment, and I was excited.

 

About an hour had passed, before a doctor came out, as Akashi stood up with me in his arms. She smiled at him, motioning for him to follow, before she led us to a room where Kyoko was holding a small infant in her arms, breathing heavily, as the baby cried. Kyoko looked to us with a smile, as she began to speak.

 

"It's a girl." She sighed. I held out my arms, wanting to hold my new baby sister. The doctors had left the room, so it was just us. Akashi leaned me in, as I grabbed onto the infant, who's crying stopped slightly, looking at me. I leaned in, wanting to get closer, but Akashi pulled me away, making me whine slightly, making both Kyoko and Akashi chuckle. 'Let me grab my sister, you monsters!' I screamed in my head.

 

"Not now dear, you'll get her soon enough." Kyoko explained, making me whine again. "And,  _her_ name?" Akashi asked. Kyoko smiled, indicating she already had something in mind.

 

"Aya." She stated simply. "Aya." I repeated, reaching out to grab her again. "Nooo~" Akashi dragged. "You'll get ahold of her soon, Rei, be patient." Akashi repeated. I stopped moving, leaning back, Akashi, my eyes still on Aya. I let out a small groan of disappointment, before relaxing.

 

* * *

 

While Akashi and Kyoko were busy discussing who-knows-what in the living room, naturally, Akashi having the news on, I snuck into Aya's room, her crib in the corner of the wall. Slowly approaching it, Aya quickly took notice of me, staring me down with curiosity.

 

I grabbed onto the wooden bars of the crib that Aya was in, peering in, as she stared back at me. She waved a hand to my face, making me smile at her.

 

"She's in here." I heard Kyoko say, as two sets of footsteps came into the room where Aya would be in.

 

"Rei, it's not even been a week yet." Akashi stated, picking me up, making me whine. "What, you want your bed in here?" Akashi asked, as I nodded, making Akashi chuckle. "What do you think? Ready to let her go?" Akashi asked, referring to the same question he asked just a few months ago. Kyoko seemed to be conflicted, before Akashi spoke again. "Or do you want Aya to be here all by herself?" He teased. After a few moments of thinking, Kyoko sighed.

 

"Aya's room is right next to ours. I guess it wouldn't really hurt." Kyoko mumbled, not making eye contact with Akashi, as she made her way to the bedroom. Akashi gave me a wink, as I smiled at him.

 

* * *

 

"Okay, all set up." Akashi exclaimed as Kyoko looked at the bed in sadness. It had only taken about an hour for Akashi to dismantle and set up the bed again, even though he could have just grabbed it and moved it.

 

"They'll be fine." Akashi proclaimed, as Kyoko uneasily nodded. "No, no... I know." She softly stated. I'm only three years old and have my own bedroom, must be hard for her. I was back up to Aya's crib,  sitting down in front of it. "You think she's ever going to leave that crib alone?" Akashi asked, looking towards Kyoko. Kyoko smiled slightly, shaking her head. "No, I doubt she'll leave that alone for a good while." She responded, as the two looked to me.

 

"Just think when they're older. Rei will have Aya by her everywhere." Akashi said, his eyes not leaving me. "She'll have to let go sometime." Kyoko responded, as Akashi got a devilish smirk on his face. "So will you." He teased, as Kyoko glared at him. At this point, Akashi wasn't even fazed, as he just chuckled to himself.


	7. Family Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now eight, with Aya being four, her birthday being a few months away, Rei and Aya spend some time playing hide and seek in the backyard with their father, but an unexpected visitor makes an appearance.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Akashi yelled, as I heard his footsteps across out yard. I looked toward Aya, who shared a glance with me, our emerald-green eyes locked, some strands of black hair from each of us falling in front of our own eyes, as I moved Aya's away from hers, before doing the same to myself. She was extremely lucky, like me, when she was born. She ended up surviving her birth, and ended up becoming a one-eyed Ghoul, like me. The scent of Kyoko rested on out new patio, as she watched the events unfold.

 

"Shhhh." I held a finger up to my lips, the sound accompanying it. Aya nodded, a mischievous smile on her face. We both leaned our heads to the bush, hearing the footsteps of our father coming closer.

 

'One.' I thought, counting the time and sound of Akashi's footsteps, ready to jump out and scare him. He most likely was just guessing where we were, anyway. We'd get him, we'd get him good. I smirked devilishly as I heard his footsteps come closer.

 

'Two...' I thought, as I looked around, waiting for Akashi to reach us, before my eyes landed on something, my eyes widening. I saw an animal, a dove; it was the same dove I'd seen a few years back. It looked at me dead in the eyes, almost as if it was studying me. It seemed to nudge its' head to its' left, as if pointing towards something.

 

"Boo!" Akashi yelled, making me jump, and shriek. "AHH!" I screamed in terror, making Aya do the same. I looked to Akashi, who was laughing, before looking back up to the dove. It's head was down, its' body seemingly expanding and contracting rapidly. Was it... laughing at me?

 

"Rei~" I was brought back to my senses as Akashi snapped his fingers in front of me. I looked to him, before pointing to the dove, which had now returned it's gaze to me, as Akashi's gaze followed my point to the bird.

 

"Oh, a dove! Omae, come here!" He called. I heard running footsteps, before a panting Kyoko rounded the corner to the bush.

 

"What?! Who had a heart attack?!" She frantically asked, checking over both me and Aya, making us share a glance of 'What the fuck?' Akashi chuckled to himself, before shaking his head.

 

"No, not that, Kyoko,  _that_." He said, pointing to the dove, as it continued to stare at us. Kyoko's eyes shined as she watched it, a smile coming across her face.

 

"It's white like snow." She stated, referring to the color of its' feathers.

 

"Pretty." Aya said simply, as I brought her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her, before the dove finally flew off.

 

"Oka-sama?" I called, as Kyoko turned to face me with a small hum. "How long do doves live?" I asked. She looked in thought for a second, before turning to Akashi, the same questioning look on her face.

 

"Uhhh…" Akashi trailed off, scratching the back of his head. "About, three... maybe five years, in the wild. Why?" Akashi asked, looking to me, as Kyoko did the same. "I saw that dove a few years ago." I said, as Akashi and Kyoko shared a look.

 

"Haha, okay darling. Come, let's go eat now, I'm sure all of you are hungry." Kyoko said, beckoning us to the house, as the three of us followed, my arms still around Aya.

 

"Onee-saaaaan, lemme go!" She whined. "No." I stated simply, tightening my hold on her, making Aya whine again. Kyoko and Akashi both chuckled at my overprotectiveness of her, but continued until we were all inside.

 

* * *

 

It was now midnight, as Aya and I were on my bed, as we played around with our pillows, tossing them to each other like they were balls.

 

"Girls, it's twelve-thirty, time to go to bed." Kyoko said on the other side of the door. "Okay Oka-sama!" I yelled back, tossing a pillow to Aya's back, picking her up, and settling her down on it.

 

"Onee-san?" She asked cutely, as I smiled to her. "Yes, Aya?" I responded. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" She asked, as I giggled slightly. "We're only on opposite sides of the room." I stated. "I know, but I want to sleep in your bed tonight." She explained, as I sighed in defeat. "Okay." I said, picking her up, carrying her to my bed, before tucking her in. I crawled in to the area of the corner, taking the more chilly area, as I wrapped my arms around Aya, pulling her down slightly so I could rest my chin atop her head.

 

It was only a few more minutes until both of our breathing evened out, as we fell asleep.


	8. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Twentieth Ward is certainly more peaceful than all others, Doves still have quite the presence there.

I sat with Kyoko, Akashi, and Aya, as the news was shown on TV. There was the occasional Ghoul attack, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Kyoko had Aya and I on her lap, as she read a book to us. It seemed more like a poem, than anything else, but was entertaining, nonetheless.

 

"You have to go tonight?" Akashi asked, muting the TV, looking over to Kyoko, as she looked up from the book. She nodded, a slightly solemn look on her face. Akashi nodded, turning the TV back on. Aya looked towards Kyoko with confusion, but I knew what she meant.

 

"A serial killer on the loose in the Ninth Ward." The news reporter stated. Akashi let out a 'tch' noise, as he threw his hands up in the air. "Really? As if there's not enough going on!" He shouted, causing Kyoko to chuckle silently.

 

"Oka-sama?" Aya asked, as both me and Kyoko looked to her, as she pointed to a word on the book.

 

"What's this word?" She asked, as Kyoko looked to it.

 

"That word is called inconspicuous." Kyoko stated, as Aya looked to the word. "It means that something doesn't easily stand out, or blends in well." She finished. Aya let out an 'oh' of understasnding, as Kyoko continued to read the book to us. Akashi spared a glance towards us, before looking back to the TV, a smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

Me, Aya, and Akashi stood in front of Kyoko, as she had her back faced to the window of her and Akashi's bedroom, a small smile on her face. Akashi brought her into a hug, before letting her go she pecked him on the lips, before lookinh to me and Aya, the two of us simultaneously wrapping our arms around her body.

 

"Okay girls, I'll be back soon. Don't wait up." She said, wrapping her arms around us, before turning to the window, donning a mask. It was a wolf mask, that only covered the bottom of her face. She opened it, before leaping out, a rinkaku kagune sprouting from her back, making me and Aya look on in awe. I'd never seen Kyoko's kagune, believe it or not.

 

Closing the window, Akashi turned back to us, a smile on his face, though worry in his eyes. "Alright you girls, get to bed now." She ordered softly, pointing to the door out of the bedroom. I nodded, grabbing Aya's hand.

 

"C'mon Aya, let's go to bed now." I stated, as she nodded, following behind me. Before closing the door, I could see Akashi resting his hands on the windowsill, looking out the window, before I finally closed it. He probably wasn't going to sleep until Kyoko came back.

 

_**~ Morning ~** _

 

My eyes fluttering open, I slowly began to wake up, the heaviness of my eyelids going away. Sitting up, a rubbed them, before looking over to Aya's bed, where she was still sound asleep. I remembered Kyoko, and threw off the sheets, making my way towards Akashi and Kyoko's bedroom. Opening the door, I could see a tired Akashi looking out the window, the first rays of sunshine beginning to peak through.

 

"Ota-sama?" I asked, all sleepiness gone now, as Akashi snapped his head to me, eyes widened. "Rei. You're up ear-" He was interrupted by frantic tapping in the glass. Immediately whipping his head around to open the window, Kyoko came through, holding her left arm, as red surrounded it. She was coughing as well, possibly due to overworking herself to get here.

 

"Kyoko!" "Oka-sama!" I yelled rushing to Kyoko, as Akashi stopped me. "Go to your room, keep your sister there." He ordered, seeming serious, an expression rarely across his face. I nodded, shaky breaths, and a shaking body to go, as I ran to my room, closing the door behind me, and locking it.

 

"Onee-san?" Aya asked sleepily, as I slowly walked to her, calming myself down. Sitting on her bed, I ran my fingers through her hair.

 

"Shh, go back to sleep." I whispered, as Aya reached out for me. I scooted myself over to her side, as she wrapped her arms around me, as I brought the two of us down slowly on the bed. I strained my ears so I could listen in on the conversation that Kyoko and Akashi were having.

 

"Investigators? How did they find you?" Akashi asked, as I heard a sharp inhale a pain. "I guess it's a popular feeding ground. Don't worry about the cut too much, it'll heal, it's the clothes I'm worried about." Kyoko stated, making my breath hitch slightly in a chuckle.

 

"I told you to be safe." Akashi reminded, sounding as if her was going to break down. "And I was. I gave a good as I got. It was one group of a bunch of inexperienced recruits, guess they though the threat wouldn't be too high. I got them all though, so we shouldn't expect anything." Kyoko explained, her voice strained in pain. "Shh, don't worry. If it comes to it, I'm not going down easy." She softly said, which I assumed was to calm down a broken Akashi. As they continued on, I found myself falling asleep with Aya next to me. I wondered if she heard anything, and she could have, but I wasn't going to check.


	9. Kagune Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve years old, Rei begins a kugune training session with her mother, Kyoko, to better grasp the concept, and violence of having one.

"Okay, now block this!" Kyoko yelled as she charged at me. As nice of a person she was, she was a violent fighter. I could tell she was holding back though, as not to hurt me, it was evident whenever I blocked with my kagune, a blue rinkaku, as she struck me, the she wasn't at full strength.

 

I brought my rinkaku up, one of the tentacles blocking Kyoko's, as she chuckled. "Very nice! You're learning quick, Rei!" Kyoko stated, as she swung a tentacle at me again, from the side, to which I'd blocked, her rinkaku deflecting onto a nearby tree, putting a hole in it. We were in the middle of a forest, desolate of any human life, aside from me and Kyoko, it you can count us as that. Believe it or nor, even though I'd been in this world for twelve years, the memories of my old live are still intact with me. I'd always found it odd, but never really questioned it.

 

"Thank you, Oka-sama!" I said, more focused on defending myself, but I apparently wasn't focused enough, as Kyoko brought an extra one to my other side, and ended with me getting smacked into a tree, all of the wind in my lungs being knocked out of me. I heard rapid footsteps, with a small shriek.

 

"Rei! Are you alright?" Kyoko asked, as I heard footsteps run over to me. Groaning, I began to get off the ground, as I felt two arms wrap around my stomach, lifting me up. "I'm fine, Oka-sama." I groaned, as Kyoko lifted me up.

 

"I think we're done for today." She said, getting up, and walking back to the house. "No, I'm fine." I protested, thinking she was mad at me for not paying attention, but Kyoko ignored me, as she continued walking. She brought me closer, pushing my head into her neck. "You fought well, Rei, but your situational awareness is lacking. If you only focus on what's in front of you, you'll never see what's behind you." She lectured, as I nodded, muttering out a small sorry. "Don't be, this is only your second time training, and I may have gotten a bit too carried away.  _I'm_ sorry." She apologized. "No reason to be." I muttered.

 

As we approached out house, Kyoko set me down on our back patio, as our backyard actually led into said forest. I heard pattering footsteps, as the door swung open, someone's arms wrapping around me. I immediately knew who it was, as I wrapped my arms around Aya.

 

"One-san!" She cheered as she nuzzled into me. I returned the action, leaning into her head. Akashi stepped out, a smile on his face, and hands on his hips, as she stared at Kyoko and I.

 

"So, how did your deathmatch go?" He teased. Kyoko looked at him slightly sheepish, as she rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous laugh escaping her. "It... might have gone a  _bit_ out-of-hand." She said, making Akashi Scrunch up his eyebrows in confusion. "Out-of-hand. What do you mean?" He asked. "I wasn't paying attention to what was around me, and I ended up losing the fight." I answered for Kyoko, as Akashi sighed. "She smacked you around, didn't she?" He asked, as I put on the same sheepish smile as Kyoko, making Akashi sigh, before he began chuckling.

 

"Alright killers, let's get some food set up. I've been making dinner since you left earlier." Akashi stated, referencing the fact that Kyoko and I had left just after twelve had struck. It was now Akashi's turn to be sheepish, however, as Kyoko have him her infamous blank stare, making him chuckle with fear, as he ushered me and my sister into the house.

 

* * *

 

Sitting down with Aya on my bed, we talked about how my fight went.

 

"Well, it was pretty good. Oka-sama landed a hit though." I said, embarrassed to admit that to my little sister. Her eyes widened in shock, as she stared at me.

 

"Oka-sama hurt you?" She gasped, disbelief in her voice. I quickly shook my head, muttering multiple 'no's'. "No, no, no, no. Oka-sama didn't hurt me, Aya. She just ended up getting a very good hit on me." I cleared up, which probably wasn't the best phrase to use at that moment. She made an 'oh' sound, before nodding her head, a smile on her face. I looked over at the clock we had.  **'11:10 P.M'** It read. Letting out a small hum. I looked to the energetic nine-year old in front of me. Scooping her up in my arms, making her squeal slightly, I brought Aya to her bed, setting her down on it, before covering her with her sheets. Giving a small kiss in her forehead, I turned back to my own bed.

 

"Goodnight, Aya." I said. "Is it time to go to sleep already?" She asked curiously, as I nodded. Letting out a small groan of disappointment, she curled up underneath her sheets. "Goodnight, One-san." She muttered, as I crawled into my bed, pulling the covers to my neck, before I let sleep take me.


	10. The Day That The World Erupted Into Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For those of you whom wanted angst, like Unknown2020, here it is! Hehe, I'm smart, I used whom.

_**~ June 8th, 2015 , Morning ~** _

 

"Come on, Aya, you can do it!" I shouted as I went all out on my little sister. We were in the forest, practicing with our kagunes, our mother and father watching, the latter of which was scared that we'd end up slicing him in half.

 

She shrieked as a tentacle came towards her, nearly hitting her, though unlike me, she perfectly deflected it, changing its direction. "Woah!" I shouted in surprise, as she struck out towards me. Deflecting Aya's attack, I used two of my four rinkaku to bring myself into the air, trying to grab Aya's rinkaku. She did the same, however, and immediately threw a green tentacle towards me again, which I easily blocked, but I didn't see the second attack that sliced through both my rinkaku that were embedded into the ground.

 

I screamed in fear, as I fell down, the rest of my rinkaku dissolving into the air. I heard a shout, before I felt someone put their arms under me, before bringing the two of us to the ground. Looking up, I saw it was Aya, who had a look of fear in her eyes.

 

"Owwwwww." I whined, as the sudden change in motion caused a headache. I heard two other pairs of footsteps running to me, as Akashi and Kyoko came up. Upon seeing that I was alright, they visibly calmed down.

 

"I'm sorry." Aya muttered burying her face into my neck. Getting up, and dusting myself off, I flicked Aya on her forehead, making her squeal slightly. "That was playing dirty." I pouted, stretching out my back. Kyoko, however, laughed. "There was nothing 'dirty' about that. Two years and you still can't tell what's around you." She chuckled, making me pout more. Akashi looked in confusion between the three of us. "Wait, what?" He asked.

 

"Shhh, simple human." I teased, making Aya giggle, and Akashi raise an eyebrow at me. "Without 'simple human', you two wouldn't be here." He stated, pointing at Aya and I, making all four of us laugh.

 

"No, Rei lacks situational awareness, which for a Ghoul- well, anyone, could be very bad." Kyoko explained, as I shifted around sheepishly, a nervous chuckle escaping me. Aya latched onto me, per usual, as I wrapped an arm around her. Kyoko turned to me, a serious expression on her face. "Rei, you  _are_ going to have to learn to pay attention to your surroundings, if you don't, you'll end up dead." I shrunk back at her sudden change of attitude, but nodded nonetheless. Aya giggled, as she poked my ribcage. "I still have two that are good for use." I warned, looking towards Aya with a smile on my face, making her quickly stop her antics.

 

"Well, you two must be hungry, that fight lasted about ten minutes or so. Let's eat!" Akashi said, walking back to the house, as Kyoko, Aya and I followed. Aya put her hands on the top of my shoulders, and I get down, as she swung her legs over, before I stood back up, my hands having a firm grip on her legs, as Aya now sat on my shoulders. Kyoko looked back, and immediately had a look of panic on her face.

 

"Ah! Rei, you'll drop her! Put her down please!" She pleaded, as Akashi looked behind himself, amused at the scene playing out. I chuckled, before responding. "She wanted up here, if she falls, it's on her own accord. And besides, don't you trust me, Oka-sama?" I asked, trying to give off a pleading expression. Kyoko looked to me for a few seconds, a soft face on her features, before responding.

 

"No, not really, can you please put her down?" "Okay."

 

"Eek!" Aya squealed as I suddenly lowered myself, lifting her off my shoulders, and setting her on the ground. That didn't mean I didn't stay by her, though. Out of pure curiosity, I decided to look around, wondering if I could spot the dove from a few years back, again. I don't exactly know why this curiosity lit up all-of-a-sudden, but I did it anyway.

 

Wouldn't you know it, my eyes were soon transfixed on a dove, high up in the trees, staring at me.

 

'I'll get you one day you feathery fuck.'

 

* * *

 

"Do you need any help?" I asked Kyoko, as she washed dishes from lunch. She was a very 'Get it done as soon as it happens' type of person, and was more for manual labor, than trusting a dishwasher, claiming they 'Leave some foggy film on the glass'. She looked over to me, and smiled.

 

"Oh, no Rei. Thank you for asking." She said, closing her eyes along with it. I nodded, a smile on my own face, as I left the kitchen area, though as I did so, the doorbell rang, as I sprinted towards it, but I saw Aya beat me as she rushed straight to him.

 

"Hi Ota-sama!" Aya greeted, taking Akashi's suitcase away from him. Turns out, Akashi worked for a big corporation in Toyko, and us moving to the Twentieth Ward actually helped with his job. Maybe that was his plan all along! "Hello girls!" He greeted back as he walked in, yet I noticed there was something wrong with him. He seemed to be slightly jittery, his hands shaking slightly. Stepping forward one foot, I tapped his shoulder, before moving back, folding my hands in front of me, as Akashi looked down towards me.

 

"Something wrong, Ota-sama?" I asked, as I pointed towards his shaking hands. He looked towards them, before looking back to me, a reassuring smile on his face.

 

"It's fine, Rei, people at work seemed to be jittery for some reason." He explained. "Oh, for what?" Kyoko asked, coming out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel, as she approached Akashi, giving him a quick kiss.

 

"I don't know, but people were giving me strange looks, Katsuhiko was, too." He explained. I raised an eyebrow at the mention of Katsuhiko. He was a good co-worker and friend of Akashi, and was all-around a friendly man, but he was one of those deranged conspiracy people.

 

"Anata, Katsuhiko gives everyone strange looks; he's slightly off." Kyoko muttered the last part, as Akashi chuckled.

 

"You're right, must be over nothing." Akashi calmed down, as he sighed in relief. Kyoko chuckled, grabbing his hand, pulling him alongside her to the kitchen. "Come you must want something to eat." "Oh yes, please!" Was the response, as me, Aya, and Kyoko chuckled to his response. I stared at the kitchen, in the path the two had taken. Honestly, this was a great family, though I wasn't about to forget my originals, anytime soon. I felt a tug on my sleeve, as I looked down to Aya, a smile on her face, as I returned the gesture. Nodding my head sideways towards the kitchen, I grabbed her hand as well, walking towards the food-filled room.

 

"Come, let's go assist Oka-sama with the food." I said, as Aya hummed in agreement.

 

* * *

 

Once dinner was finished, and of course, earlier, the snack for Akashi, we did our own things until eleven hit. Me and Aya were in our bedroom, the door closed, as we danced freely to imaginary music. Grabbing her hand, I twirled her around, as she giggled, obviously liking the interaction. Then I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around her stomach, lifting her up and twirling her, before setting her back down onto the ground. In all honesty, this was much more fun and entertaining without having to keep in sync to the beat of music. Instead, it was whatever we put for ourselves, making it up as we went along.

 

Aya jumped onto me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and wrapping her legs around my waist, as I wrapped my own arms around her back. If you couldn't tell, we were inseparable.

 

Our sister-bond moment was interrupted, however, when we heard some strong knocks at the door. Setting Aya down, and rushing to the front door, I saw Kyoko and Akashi already there. Red and blue lights were out front, the strobes sending chills down my spine. As Akashi looked through the peephole, Kyoko inhaled deeply, turning around, before snapping her fingers softly at us, pointing to our room. Grabbing Aya's hand, running off to our bedroom, closing the door, and locking it. Aya looked at me, fear in her eyes. I heard Akashi open the door, and greet the man outside, but I didn't care about anything outside the bedroom at the moment.

 

I kneeled down slightly, so I was eyelevel with her. I gave her a soft smile, as I brought up a finger to my lips, signaling for us to be quiet. Aya began to tear up, as she began to silently weep. Putting my hands on both sides of her head, I laid a soft kiss on her forehead. With the smile still on my face, I cupped hers in my hands, making her sob even more.

 

"Shhhh. One-san's got you. Nothing will happen to us, okay?" I reassured, though my shaky breathing and shivering form didn't help our situation. In fact, the words were more for me, than her. "One-san's got you." I said, pulling her into a hug, putting a hand to the back of her head, burying it into my neck, as my own tears began to stream. I knew. I knew these lights weren't coming off the police cars, but off of CCG vehicles. It would explain everything. "You-y-you're m-making it s-sound like you-your going to d-die." Aya sobbed. "I'm not dying Aya, not for anyone." I said, tightening my grip around her.

 

"Shh, am I going to let anything happen to you?" I asked, as Aya shook her head. "Exactly, just focus on me, okay?" "Mhm." She squealed.

 

"AKASHI!" Both me and Aya jumped at the screams of our mother. I immediately covered Aya's mouth, as I began to shake violently. Tears began to flow freely down my eyes as the strong scent of blood filled my nostrils... human blood.

 

"Ota-sama…" I trailed off, using my remaining free hand to cover my own mouth to stifle my sobs, as I brought Aya around to my chest. I heard footsteps walking into the house, one of a dove. I felt so many emotions surge through my body, the main ones being anger, and sadness. I made sure to remember the scent, and the sound of his footsteps. I wanted to go out and tear him to shreds, to coat the streets with his blood. The light was off in our room, thankfully, and the curtains were shut tight.

 

"Hmm, how shameful. A human, betraying his own kind, by interbreeding with one of you monsters. Pitiful, really, but anyone who throws their lot in with the likes of you, deserves it." Wait... that voice. That couldn't be the voice, of Kuero Mado? Oh no.

 

The sounds of a kagune ripping from mothers' back, followed by the sounds of a skirmish filled both Aya and mine's ears. After about ten seconds, I heard someone get thrown out of the building, Kuero.

 

"Rei, take Aya and run. Run as far as you can, out of the ward, if you have too." Our mothers' voice was soft, almost whisper-like, yet she still retained normal speaking tone. Due to her position in the house, and mine, I could hear her clearly, so could Aya. She wasn't dumb; for eleven, I'm sure she knew damn well what was going on.

 

"But what about you, Oka-s-sama?" I choked up, not wanting to leave her. "I'll be fine, you two just run. I love you both." She began to whisper in a high-pitched voice at the end, as if she was about the choke up, too. "We love you, too." And with that, I stood up, Aya in my arms. I made my way to the bedroom door, my legs shaking violently. As soon as I opened the door, I turned to Aya, putting both hands on her shoulders.

 

"Aya, I want you to listen to me, and listen carefully. We're going out the back, and we're running as far as we can, okay?" I explained. "B-but what about Oka-sa-" "Oka-sama will be fine, she'll be with us when we get out of here." Without waiting for a response, it was as if my legs went numb, no feeling. I grabbed Aya's hand, and ran straight to the back door, that thankfully had a path to it that didn't involve it being anywhere near the front door.

 

With Aya trailing behind, we ran, I made sure she was in front of me, to make sure that she couldn't look behind her, before picking her up bridal-style, and continuing. It wasn't until we perched atop a small hill, that I looked back, and despite fighting her, she managed to bring her head to the house. Wait... what was that?

 

"Those are-" "Flames." Aya finished for me. It only took a few minutes, but the street of the half-lit moon was illuminated by fire, from our house. There were firetrucks everywhere, spraying water, but not on our house. They were spraying down surrounding houses, and everywhere that wasn't home, to ensure they didn't burn, too.

 

"R-Rei?" Aya squealed, as I looked to her. She never called me by my first name. "Oka... O-Oka-s-sama's." She began to break down, sobbing, as I sat down on the hill, under the cover of a few trees, the beginning to the forest, brining Aya to my chest, as she clutched my shirt, burying her face in it. I began to break down to, as I caressed her hair softly.

 

"Aya, look at me." I breathed out, as she obeyed, looking at my puffy, bloodshot, teared-up, green eyes. "I'm going to take care of you now, okay?" I asked, as she slowly nodded. I gave her another kiss to the forehead, before I stood up, walking into the depths of the forest.

 

"No one's ever going to hurt you."

 

**Crack**

 

_**~ Third-Person P.O.V ~** _

 

As the house erupted into flames, a dove stared at it, shock in its' eyes, as it turned its' head to the direction of where Rei and her sister went. It flew away from the chaos, over the forest. It would be keeping a closer eye on you now. You, were its' most important priority, not Aya, you.

 

You had no idea that this dove would become such a major part of your life.


	11. Friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a couple months after their parents' deaths. Rei and Aya take to the streets to survive, with Rei doing everything she can to make sure her sister stays safe. However, it seems that there is much more to this dove than Rei had ever thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be slightly off, however, it will pay off much later!

"One-san?" Aya asked, as she looked up to me, my arms wrapped around her, as we took shelter in an old, decrepit apartment building.

 

"Hmm?" I hummed in acknowledgement, looking down to her. She leaned into my chest, as I wrapped my right arm around her head, my left tightening around her stomach, as she broke eye-contact with me.

 

"Why did those men come after us?" She asked, referring to the attack on our house a few months back. I knew she would ask this, she always wanted to know. Way to young to truly figure out why we had to live like this. Feeling a pit in my stomach form, as I took in a deep breath, I responded. "The world doesn't like Ghouls, Aya." I wanted to tell her the truth, so badly, so she'd know, but who knows what the knowledge of why we had to live like this would do to her. I'd tell her one day, but I'd make sure it was far away.

 

"Why?" She pressed on. Scouring my brain for an answer, I responded once more. "It's... complicated." "Oh." She said, leaning into me further. Looking out an empty window, all that's left being the wall where the frame used to sit, could I see a setting sun.

 

Hunting; I had to hunt humans recently, due to not being able to afford to buy from a shop. Aya didn't like it, she wanted to know why we had to kill to survive, why her big sister had to be a murderer to keep her alive.

 

I snapped back to reality when I saw a teardrop land on Aya's hair. I quickly wiped my face of any tears that fell. I can't cry now. I have to be Aya's support. Clenching my jaw, and closing my eyes, I forced my breath to steady out. Opening them again, I found that Aya had fallen asleep. Closing my eyes again, I made sure that there were no foreign sounds or scents from anyone, Ghoul or human.

 

Once I knew we were the only ones in the area, I let sleep overtake me.

 

* * *

 

Slowly opening my eyes, I looked around. The area was black, all around, infinite, empty. I thought it was the sleepy blur that my eyes gave, so I rubbed them, trying to clear my vision. I saw something coming towards me, flying. A dove. The same dove I've been seeing for years. Gritting my teeth, I prepared to show my rinkaku. This thing has been following me following me for years, staring at me, watching me, and I'm going to fucking capture this thing and see if I've been spied on by a damn robot.

 

As I prepared my kagune to burst out of my back, I was taken aback by the person that had suddenly morphed from the bird, turning into a young boy, about me age, as he landed on his feet, before standing up, holding his hands in front of him, a slightly panicked look on his face.

 

"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down. Not gonna hurt you." He said, looking at me expectantly. Still shocked at what just happened, I slightly relaxed, staring at him. He had pure white hair, slightly shaggy, yet neat, and dark blue eyes. He had on red sneakers... just completely red, minus the laces, that were black. His skin was just slightly tanned, maybe some time in the sun, and he had on jeans, and a loose fitting sky-blue tee-shirt.

 

"Wha… You?" I asked, not being able to get a full sentence out. The boy chuckled at my expression, before approaching me, making me tense up once more. "Calm down, I just want to talk." He said, gesturing behind me. I took a step to the side, giving a side-glance behind me, as I saw a small, circular table, with two chairs by it. They were made out of wood, and the chair were set up in our direction, whatever that was.

 

"Why?" I asked, still on edge. There was a second of silence, before the boy spoke again. "(Y/N)." He said, as I snapped my head to look at him, a churning feeling in my stomach, blood draining from my face, as a chill ran up my spine. I tensed up even more, as I stared at the boy in shock. How did he know my  _actual_ name?! A name I've not been called in fourteen goddamn years! He looked at me, a solemn, but serious expression on his face.

 

"We  _have_ to talk." He said, sternly. I slowly nodded, as I walked to the farthest chair, taking a seat, so I was facing him. If he knew my actual name, God knows what else he knows about me. He took a seat in front of me, staring at me for a second, before sighing.

 

"So, my name's Dove... okay, well, not actually, but that's just what I call myself, you can literally call me whatever... how have you been?" He asked. "I guess, okay?" I answered, as Dove looked at me skeptically.

 

"Okay? Your parents were slaughtered, your house was burned down, and you and your sister have been forced to live on the streets for the past few months, barely scraping by, and you're... 'okay'?" He asked, as eyebrow raised. I perked up at his sentence, an anger filling in my eyes.

 

"Wait, did you know all this would happen?" I asked, venom dripping from my words. He once again held his hands up in defense. "No, no, no, I didn't. I only brought you to this world, I didn't know  _any_ of this would happen!" Dove defended. I only felt more anger rise through me, as I stood in my seat.

 

"So you mean to tell me you've been watching me and my sister suffer for fucking months, and not once could you have done this beforehand?!" I said, slamming my fist down on the table. "(Y/N)." He started. Whenever he said that, I always felt tense, for obvious reasons. "Listen to me, I have a plan." He said, as I calmed down, sitting back in my seat, looking at him expectantly.

 

"Okay, so here it is: Hang around the Anteiku area for a while, do a little hunting on their grounds, and they're sure to notice, right?" He began, as I nodded. "They'll most likely send Touka after you, since Kaya and Koma are worn out and old," I let out a small chuckle. "and when Touka sees you just trying to provide for your little sister, it'll most likely play on her feelings a little bit, since right about now is when Ayato leaves to cause mayhem and join Aogiri. If she tries to fight you, just go on the defensive, shouldn't be too hard, considering you have a rinkaku kagune, and once Touka tires herself out, smack her around a little bit, but don't cause her too much harm, and escape. Either way, even though you might kick her into the ground a little, she'll see that you don't want to exactly cause her harm, but you just want to make sure your little sister, Aya, is safe." He explained, as I looked at him in slight shock.

 

"That's actually pretty intelligent." I said, as Dove put his hands behind his head, leaning back into the chair, a smug look on his face. "Spent a couple days figuring that one out." He admitted, making me chuckle. "You went nice real fast." He observed, as I shrugged. "But what do I do if I end up on Touka's shit-list?" I asked. Dove hummed in though for a moment, before snapping his fingers, leaning forwards. "Uhhh, I really don't know." He said, leaning back into his chair. "However, Yoshimura himself might take notice, and he might ask Touka to bring you in. You know how he is." Dove suggested, as I nodded.

 

"Okay." I said, smiling. He stood up, as did I, before extending his arms out for a hug, a smile on his face, as I gave him a questioning look. "Don't worry, it's not gay." He chuckled to himself, as I did, too. I approached him, wrapping my arms around him, and due to the fact he was a few inches taller than I was, me being around five feet, seven inches. After letting go, he patted me on the head.

 

"You know... you're not what I expected a deity-like being to look like." I admitted, as Dove laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not a deity, I don't think... and this is just the form I choose to use." He said, as I nodded again.

 

"Now, go and put the plan to work. I'm going to start checking on you more often." He said, before snapping his fingers.

 

* * *

 

Waking up with a jolt, I looked around. I was still in the building, pitch-black, with Aya sleeping soundly in my arms. I looked out the window, onto the city lights. The faint sounds of cars and people passing filling my ears, in the distance.

 

'Was that seriously a dream? It self so real.' I thought to myself.

 

'(Y/N)' I voice said in my head, making me freeze up in fear, as my breath caught in my throat. 'Don't worry, it's me, Dove.' It said again.

 

"Dove?" I mouthed to myself. 'Speak in thoughts, I'll hear you, and you won't look crazy.' He said. 'Wait... is nothing private with me, now?!' I screamed in my head. 'No, no. Don't worry, whatever pervy images you think in your head is not going to get to me. Trust me, I've limited this thing, so I don't hear anything outside of conversation.' Dove explained. 'Okay, so what now?' I asked. 'Well, now I suggest getting to Anteiku as soon as possible, but make sure it's actually when Aya's awake. So you might have to go back to sleep.' He explained.

 

'Alright. Thanks, Dove.' I said, earning a hum back. Closing my eyes, it took a while, but I ended up falling asleep, once more.


	12. Just Ask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the encounter with Dove, Rei decides to put his plan in action the next morning. She decides, however, that instead of hunting humans, due to the frequency of Ghouls in the area, she's better off hunting her own.

Sitting atop a ledge on a rooftop, I watched various people enter Anteiku, coming in, going out. I couldn't help but softly smile at them. Such carefree lives. In my old life, the biggest problems my family ever had to worry about was sand in our pool, but this is a whole new level of worry.

 

"Hey, Aya?" I asked, looking back to my little sister, who's green eyes stared at me. "How do you feel about having a roof over our head again?" I asked. It was early in the morning, around seven, or so. Aya's eyes lit up, as she smiled. "Really? You have a plan?!" She asked, ecstatic. I nodded, a smirk on my own face. 'Hey, dick, it was my idea!' Dove shouted in my head, but I ignored him. Looks like I'm a schizophrenic from now on.

 

"I'm just going to do a bit of hunting around the Anteiku area, nab their attention, and see if I can't work things out from there. You wouldn't mind being my emotional leverage, would you?" I asked, tilting my head, a newly formed smirk of pure slyness on my face. Aya shook her head, a smile still on her own face. I looked down to Anteiku; all I had to do was wait for a lone Ghoul to come out and hunt, and strike. After all, if I'm hunting, not even for food, might as well eat my own, gain some power from it, right? I could better keep Aya safe.

 

_**~ Time-Skip To Night ~** _

 

Walking along the rooftops, near the Anteiku area, I kept my ears open, listening for anyone nearby, then using my nose to determine weather or not they were a Ghoul. Suddenly, I stopped, sniffing the air. No footsteps, but a scent, certainly, one of my own kind. Smirking I ran to the area, my kagune bursting from my back, as I ran to the scent. Eventually, when it reached its' strongest,  I peered over a ledge of the building I was on, Aya right behind me, crouched down. She tended to get as excited and sadistic as I can when we hunt.

 

There was a male in the alleyway, brown hair, crouched behind a dumpster, most likely waiting for a meal. Little did he know, that he was going to be  _my_ meal. Sniffing the air, most likely because of Aya and I's human scent, he looked up, and I took the chance to lunge forward, the man just barely dodging. Shooting my rinkaku ahead, onto the ground, I landed safely, even though I could have survived that fall anyway. Turning around, I was met with the pissed off face of the man, but his expression turned to shock, when he saw my kagune. I had a human scent, yet, I had a kagune. His eyes also widened at the sight of my right eye, my kakugan completely showing, my left eye still green.

 

"Y-you're a one-eye!" He exclaimed. I didn't say anything, as I shot a tentacle at him, narrowly dodging it, the man brought out his koukaku, ready to fight me. "What, gonna cannibalize one of your own?" He asked, venom dripping from his words. "Not really. I just have a plan in motion, and you need to die for it." I explained, using two of my appendages to stand tall, using the other two to grab him. The man jumped upward, avoiding both, and slicing one off, making me hiss in pain.

 

I quickly reacted, using the last free one I had left, catching the man off guard as it pierced his stomach, making him cough up blood, bending forward. I dragged my rinkaku out of him, hardening it, morphing it into a blade, before bringing it down on his neck, the blade going straight through, as his lifeless, headless body collapsed to the cold floor, Looking up, I motioned for Aya to come down, still breathing in heavily through my nose, making sure no one was around. Aya immediately landed next to me, looking at the corpse with an emotionless expression, before looking up to me, as our eyes locked, my right eye returning to its' green color.

 

"He's a Ghoul, too, Onee-san. Why did you have to kill him?" She asked, a concerned expression on her face. I kneeling to her height, I cupped her face, smiling gently at her, the same smile that always calmed her down.

 

"Well, you know how we eat humans?" I asked, as she nodded. "Well, if I eat another Ghoul, like him, I can get stronger, to protect you. You wouldn't want to live unsafe, now would you?" I asked her ,as she shook her head. "So I could be stronger, too?" She asked, tilting her head in curiosity, as I nodded. "Here, next time, when I get another Ghoul, I'll let you have it, okay?" I reasoned, as Aya nodded. I smiled to her, embracing her in a hug, putting a hand on the back of her head, burying her face into my neck for a few seconds, before letting her go, pointing to where the Ghoul was crouched by the dumpster, obviously motioning her to sit there, as she made her way to the corner, sitting down.

 

'Anything from Anteiku, Dove?' I asked, making my way to the Ghoul, about to eat his koukaku. 'Hmm, nope, nothing from here. Touka's making a round, though.' He replied. 'Wait, you're actually here? Like, flying around?' I asked. 'Yup.' was the response I got. 'So Touka's making rounds?' I asked again, as I finished off the kakuhou. 'You know... I just realized something...' I trailed off. Dove didn't say anything, meaning he was listening.

 

'Why not just go the fuck to Anteiku and ask? I'm certain Yoshimura would take me in.' I said. It was silent for a few seconds, before Dove spoke up. 'Well, yeah, I mean, you can do that, but where's the fun in that?' He asked. 'I COULD'VE BEEN AT ANTEIKU BY NOW!' I shouted. 'Hey! You had the choice to go to Anteiku months ago, but didn't, so you were just as scared to ask then!' He retorted. I stayed silent, knowing he was right. I punching the brick was next to me in anger, not looking at it, as the bricks in the way shattered. I heard Aya shuffle, looking from behind the dumpster. Walking briskly towards her, I grabbed her hand, before stopping.

 

'Dove, how do I get to Anteiku from here?' I asked. 'Hmmmmm. Let me check.'

 

* * *

 

Me and Aya stood in front of the doors to Anteiku, as I looked behind, the steps down illuminated by the orange light of the lobby, meaning it was still on, or they were just getting ready to close. Maybe this was a bad time to ask.'

 

"Aya, let's turn around, well try tomorrow-" I was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Turning my head around, I instinctively put Aya behind me. 'How did I not hear that?! Damn situational awareness!' I mentally cursed. I swore I heard a chuckle, but I ignored it, as Yoshimura himself stepped out. My eyes widened slightly, as he looked down upon me. He was seriously tall in real life.

 

"Hello." He greeted, as I stared for an extra second, before bringing myself out of shock. "Oh, uh, h-hello." I responded awkwardly. His eyes were closed, as usual, and his hands were behind his back. He let out a small hum, before finally speaking again.

 

"You're here alone, where are your parents?" He asked. I stiffened, taking in a deep breath, but didn't say anything. I couldn't, I didn't want to. He seemed to get the idea, before motioning for me to follow, as he went inside. I followed dragging Aya behind me.

 

"Please, have a seat." He said, gesturing to a stool by the counter. I nearly did a double take when I saw Touka-fucking-Kirishima wiping down stables. Not that she was wiping down tables, but just seeing her in person. Her hair was long, tied into a low ponytail.

 

I had Aya sit next to me on a barstool, still keeping a firm grip on her hand, though I could feel Touka's stare on the back of my head.

 

Setting down two cups of coffee in front of us, I took my free hand, slowly taking the cup of coffee, inspecting it.

 

'Come on, Rei, it's just Yoshimura, he's not poisoning you.' I mentally scolded myself, taking a soft sip for the cup. My eyes lit up at the amount of flavor in the coffee.

 

"Wow, this is really good!" I exclaimed. Aya then took a sip of her own cup, before she displayed a similar reaction. "Oh, it really is!" She breathed out. Yoshimura chuckled at our reaction, before turning to Touka.

 

"Touka, no more cleaning is needed. You may go." Yoshimura said, as Touka walked behind the counter, setting the rag she was cleaning with down on a shelf, before walking off.

 

"She just recently got into a fight with someone, so please, excuse her attitude." He explained, as I nodded. 'She just got into a fight with Tsukiyama, remember?' I heard Dove ask. 'Right.' I responded. Yoshimura shut off the lights to the store, before returning to us.

 

"May I ask why you're on the streets?" He asked softly. I said nothing. I took one more sip from my coffee, before raising my head up to him, my kakugan showing. Yoshimura lifted his head up slightly, a soft sigh from his nose, as if he'd just pieced everything together.

 

"Then, that would explain the human smell on both of you." He said. "I've been looking for a place to go, and... I heard that Anteiku helps out Ghoul like us." I asked timidly. Yoshimura smiled softly, before speaking.

 

"Of course. We have an extra room available for the two of you." He said, as I smiled. "However, if you are to stay, we do ask one thing of you." He continued. I looked at him intently, even though I knew the demand to come. "We ask that you earn your stay, work here, at the coffee shop. You and your sister are fully welcome." He said, as my eyes lit up, nodding enthusiastically. "Of course, thank you!" I beamed. I looked over to Aya, who had a dumbfounded look on her face. Young as she was, she was still old enough to realize what just happened.

 

"Welcome to Anteiku..." Yoshimura trailed off, leaning his head to us slightly, asking for our names. "I'm Ishikawa Rei, and this is my sister, Aya." I said, gesturing to each of us as I spoke. Yoshimura nodded, a warm smile on his face.

 

"Welcome to Anteiku, Rei, Aya. I expect much from you. Please, go upstairs, I'll have Touka show you both to your room." He said, as I nodded. Finishing the coffee, I grabbed Aya, leading her through the back door, going to the steps. As soon as I'd made a right turn, I'd nearly bumped into Touka, who was leaning on a wall, arms folded, with a bored look on her face. She sighed, before turning around, motioning for us to follow. She led us to the end of the hallway, where we were met with a wooden door.

 

"This will be where you're staying. We'll get nameplates to put up here soon enough." She explained. I opened the door, turning on a light, peering inside. It was pretty dusty, obviously not used in forever. I entered the room, thanking Touka, as she turned around, walking off.

 

Closing the door behind us, I looked to Aya.

 

"Told you I had a plan." I smirked at her, as she smiled up to me.

 

'Still my idea!'


	13. Training With Touka Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being accepted into Anteiku, Rei and Aya have to learn how to work at the coffee shop first. Unfortunately, Yoshimura is out doing errands for a while, taking Kaya and Koma along with him,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to have some adult themes *Ahem*… >_> Touching yourself.

Yellow. That's all that I can see. The yellow of flames, the red and orange colors alongside, dancing. They were dancing around our house.

 

I looked around in a panic. Searching for Aya, but she was nowhere to be found. "A-Aya?" I asked. "AYA?!" I screamed, hoping to hear her respond. I heard footsteps approach from behind me. Whipping my whole body around, I was met with Kuero Mado. His sickening grim was plastered onto his face, as his eyes stared me down. I took a defensive stance, my rinkaku burst out from my back. He kept hitting his fist onto the briefcase where his quinque would be stored.

 

He began to chuckle like a manic, before bringing out the kagune out of the briefcase. I recognized the smell, as my eyes widened.

 

"Say hello to your precious sister!" He said, an electric-green rinkaku bursting out of the briefcase. I began to shake, as I felt a hatred swell up inside me. "Y...yo..." I couldn't say anything, but soon I finally gained the strength to yell.

 

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed. The knocking sound didn't stop, instead, it got louder, more rapid. Suddenly, everything went black.

 

* * *

 

"Rei." Aya shook me awake. I gasped, sitting bolt upright, shoving myself into the corner of our shared bed. Aya immediately crawled onto the bed with me, wrapping her arms around me, as I did the same. The knocking sound stopped, as I realized it was coming from the door; Touka was outside.

 

After a few deep breaths, I loosened my arms, looking at Aya with a smile, whereas she looked concerned. "Onee-san?" She asked quietly. I slid off the bed, fixing up my hair. "I'm fine, Aya, just a bad dream." I said, looking down to her. She grabbed my hand, nuzzling into my chest, as I pulled her closer. I approached the door, as I saw a shadow move from it. I guess Touka was trying to eavesdrop. I unlocked the door opening it. She stood out the front of it, in plain clothes, arms folded, as she stared at me. We were about the same height, as I wasn't much taller than she was. Her eyes held annoyance, but I guess... concern?

 

"Nightmare." I stated simply, as Touka nodded, walking off, as I followed, Aya trailing behind me. Touka reached into a closet, before pulling out a uniform, throwing it in my face.

 

"Try that on, see if it fits." She said, pointing to the closet where she brought the uniform from. I walked into the closet, closing the door behind me, as I stripped off my old clothes, that smelled so damn rancid, before putting on the uniform. I opened the door, stepping out, as Touka walked around, observing me.

 

"Oo~" Aya said, looking at the uniform. I swore I could hear Touka let out a small chuckle from her reaction, but that could've just been me. She tightened some strings, before walking back in front of me.

 

"Okay, take that off, then get in the shower. You both smell like you came from a sewer." Touka said, I nodded, taking Aya back with me to out room, as I shut the door behind us, locking it again. I turned to Aya, who just stared at me, as I gave her a smirk, a soft smile being the return gesture. Surprisingly, our room actually had a shower. It was obviously made like an apartment.

 

"You go in, first. I'll wait." I said to Aya, as she nodded, walking into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I heard the shuffling of clothes, before the water turned on. I heard the sounds of Touka footsteps coming to our room, so I opened the door to meet her. She had a small pile of clothes in hand.

 

"Here, so the two of you have something to wear." She said, leaving before I could say a 'thank you'. Closing the door once more, a scent caught my nose. Putting my nose closer to the pile of clothes in my hands, I realized it was Touka's scent. These were her clothes!

 

My face went redder than a tomato, as I quickly set the pile down on the futon in the middle of the room. Thoughts of wearing Touka's clothes raced through my mind, before I shook my head.

 

'What the hell am I thinking?! She just lent us her clothes so we had something to wear!' I scolded myself, shaking my head again, as I took a glance to the clothes.

 

'To be fair, you  _are_ an angsty teen with wild hormones that's not had any sexual experience, be it with another person, or yourself.' Dove commented. My face then erupted into red. 'Woah, woah, woah, slow down there!' I started. 'I had a shared bed for years! How could I- why am I even having the conversation with you?!' I yelled internally. 'Just sayin', you might be a female, but you still have a mostly male-ish mind, these thoughts are gonna come in.' He defended. 'I thought you said that any fucked up thoughts I had, you were going to stay out of!' I retorted. 'I am, your words came out though.' He said, as I sighed.

 

"Onee-san?" I heard Aya ask, as I snapped my head to her. She had a towel wrapped around her body, as I grabbed a set of clothes, giving it to her. She looked at it, smelling it. "It's Touka's." I said, as Aya nodded, before looking back at the futon, her eyes at the back, where the clothes were. "Something wrong?" I asked, as Aya shook her head.

 

"You were just glaring at the clothes." She said, giggling. I shook my head, before walking back to the futon, grabbing another pair of clothes, before going into the bathroom. I snapped my fingers to Aya, asking for the towel. She put the clothes underneath the towel, over her, before tossing it to me. I nodded a thank you, before heading in, closing the door.

 

'Okay, I'll leave ya alone for the rest of the day, if you want?' Dove asked. 'Meh, until I ask for you again.' I said. 'Okay.' And with that the conversation ended.

 

I stripped off my clothing, undoing the laces on my panties, and unclasping my bra, before entering the shower. Since Aya used it, it had to have already been warm. Turning on the water for the shower head, I felt nice, hot water wet my body, as I let out a content sigh, feeling any dirt on my already being washed off.

 

I sat at the end on the shower, since it technically doubled as a bathtub. It was one of those showers. I grabbed some of the bar soap on an inner ledge, scrubbing my body with it. I wanted to get done as quickly as possible, to save water, and make sure others had some hot water.

 

It actually only took me about an entire minute to completely wash myself. I stood up, about ready to get out of the shower. However, I stood up too abruptly, my inner legs brushing in between. I covered my mouth to prevent a loud moan.

 

Sitting back down slowly, I spread my legs, looking at the slit in between. it was red, very red.

 

I traced my fingers to it slowly, and as soon as the top of my fingers hit it, I felt an extreme wave of pleasure run through my body. I covered my mouth with my left hand, as I moved my head back, softly hitting the back wall of the shower, as my began to trace the slit, the pleasure increasing tenfold. I then brought my entire hand over it, moving it up and down, as I sighed into my free hand.

 

'I guess this happens when you don't take care of this for years.' I thought. I'd actually never done this before, so I wondered what it would feel like if I...

 

I inserted a finger in myself, leaning forward suddenly, as I let in a sharp intake of air. The warmth of my own walls, either that, or it was so hot because of the steam. I blame that. That, hormones, and never doing this, but I'm sure the heat and steam played a role, too. I closed my eyes in pleasure, sighing slightly through my covered mouth.

 

I slowly pumped in and out, closing my eyes in pleasure as I let out a content sigh. I added another finger, a full two, squeezing my eyes shut, before opening them. My slit was now as red as I was. I went faster, it began to get harder to contain my moans, and now my legs were thrashing about. I pushed them to the walls of the bathtub, as I slid down, my back on the floor. Squeezing my eyes shut again, I felt my walls clench around my fingers, as I came onto the shower wall in front of me, where the head was.

 

I shakily slid out my fingers, my walls still refusing to let go, but I got them out as I shook from ecstasy. I shakily moved my fingers into the path of the water, rinsing them off. I shakily got on my hands and knees, turning off the water, as the steam swirled in the air. There was a big spot where I came, right below the shower head, as it leaked down. I turned on the water again, sitting in the middle of it, gathering some water in my hands, and splashing the area. It reality, it probably just spread the liquid everywhere, but at least it wasn't noticeable.

 

'I wonder if anyone heard me?' I thought, as the thought of Aya hearing me made my face flush red, if that was even possible at this point.

 

I grabbed the shower lever, using it as a stand to help me up. I steadily stepped out of the shower, sitting down, and grabbing the towel I had, drying myself. After I'd finished, I'd already calmed down, and stood up, grabbing Touka's clothes, slipping them on. I took in a deep breath, to help calm me down more, but I could smell was Touka. It made me blush a bit, but I shook out the thoughts. Going to the mirror, making sure I looked presentable, and not like I'd had fun in the shower. Exiting the bathroom, I was hit with cool air.

 

'Guess I'd spent a little more time in there that I thought.' I thought to myself, as Aya looked at me from the futon, the TV on. It was showing some cartoon, not anime, shocker, but a small cartoon. "Hi, Aya." I greeted, as she smiled, running up and hugging me, without saying anything. I hugged her back, before setting her on the couch.

 

"I'll be back, okay?" I said, as Aya nodded, looking back to the TV, bringing her knees up to her chest, burying her face in the skirt. I guess since we have a roof over our heads now, she has less reason to be scared. That, and the clothes  _do_ smell nice. Closing the door behind me, I shook my head again. Looking up, I saw Touka looking at me with a confused look. Smirking at her, I plainly said.

 

"You smell nice." Grabbing a piece of the clothing from my chest, lifting it up slightly, as Touka's face flushed red. Turning around on her feet, she muttered a small 'c'mon'.

 

'Wow, never thought I would actually see the day Touka blushed in real life... or that _I_ would make her blush.' I thought, the smirk still on my face.

 

"Why so red?" I asked, as Touka just turned her head to glare at me. I chuckled, but still shrunk back a little, my smirk fading. The blush, however, was still on her face.

 

She brought me to a small kitchen area, still upstairs. I recognized it at the place where Yoshimura took Kaneki to learn how to eat like a Ghoul.

 

"The old man's out for a while, took two co-workers with him, so he had to shut it down. That means I have to train you until he gets back." She said. I didn't know where the perversion had come from all of a sudden, but without  think, I just said, "I've not problem being trained by you." I said, a smile on my face. Her dace nearly went back to its' normal pale color, but then it flushed red again.

 

"Say that again, and I'll throw you out of a window." She growled lowly, most likely so Aya couldn't hear. "Mm, feisty." I teased, making her go even more red, as she started to stutter, her evil façade breaking.

 

"J-just go into that cupboard, and get out some grains." She ordered. I nodded, doing as she asked. I'd make fun from this day.


	14. Training With Touka Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some teasing and a little moment to herself in the shower, Rei is now under Touka's wing to learn how to prepare coffee in Anteiku.

I slowly poured the hot water onto the coffee grains, making small circles as I did so, as the brown liquid went into the chamber. After it was empty, I set the water kettle down on the counter, as the last drops of coffee entered the coffee decanter. I looked to Touka, who had her arms folded.

 

"Well, let's see how you did." Touka said, grabbing some cups, and pouring the coffee into them. She and I sat down at the table in the room, as we both sipped on the coffee.

 

"Hmm, decent." Touka said, after blowing on her coffee, taking a sip from it. I however, didn't, and just sipped on the coffee, as it burned my lips and tongue. I set down the coffee, immediately swallowing the liquid, as I felt my heart catch on fire, as I held my chest in pain. I heard Touka make a 'tch' noise, as she spoke. "You can't be serious." She mumbled, as I heard her get up. A few seconds later, she came back, setting a water bottle in front of me, as I hastily drank it.

 

"Thank you." I said, wiping off a small droplet of water from the corner of my mouth. "Don't thank me, that situation was entirely your fault." Touka scoffed, setting a couple strands of hair behind her ears. "Right, sorry." I apologized, blowing on the coffee, before taking another sip, cooler this time. Touka took her cup into her hands again, sipping the coffee, before speaking.

 

"So how'd you end up here?" She asked, looking at the table. I brought my eyes up to her in shock. Out of all questions, that was one I never expected her to ask. "What do you mean?" I asked, as Touka looked up at me.

 

"How old's your sister?" She asked, a serious look in her eyes. "She's only eleven." I answered, as Touka's eyes widened slightly, before they returned to normal. "Old man said the two of you were Ghouls... you smell like humans." She said, taking another sip of coffee, as did I, before looking back to her, activating my bakugan, making Touka's eyes actually widened.

 

"So you're One-eyes." She said, as I nodded. "Our father was a human, but our mother was a Ghoul." I explained. "The only reason that the two of you would have been wandering the streets is if the Doves actually found you." Touka said, eyeing me, as I looked down to my coffee.

 

"They did..." I breathed out. "Killed them both, then burned our house to the ground." I answered. I looked up to Touka, who had her coffee cup on the table, her hands still curved around it, as she glared at the liquid inside. It almost seemed as if a hatred was festering in her eyes. I decided not to say anything, and just took a sip of my coffee again, setting it down. A few seconds later, Touka abruptly took up, scaring me, as she marched around the table. I was confused at what she was doing, before she kneeled to my level, wrapping her arms around my neck.

 

I was shocked at first, but slowly let my fingers off the coffee cup, my arms going around Touka's back, as I let myself relax, nuzzling into the side of her head, as she softly did the same. I'd not even been here a full day yet, and she was already hugging me... I guess, when you take it into consideration, we have similar pasts. I guess the real Touka is a big softie then. Her long hair also felt really comfortable, as she ran her fingers through mine. It wasn't until I felt a hitch in my breath, that I realized my eyes were beginning to water, as Touka hugged me more tightly. I buried my face into her neck, as I pursed my lips, trying to contain my sobs, the occasional sniffle coming out. Touka moved a hand up and down my back, soothing me, as she slowly swayed back and forth, making me almost sleepy.

 

A good five minutes had passed, before I calmed down, as Touka pulled away, cupping the sides of my face, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears. I moved over slightly, freeing up half the seat, as I patted the free spot, Touka taking it. She'd wrapped an arm around my waist, as she brought another to the side of my head, pulling me closer to her, and putting our heads together. I'd put my arms around Touka's waist, as I pulled in to her.

 

"Onee-" We both turned our heads to Aya, who had peaked into the room, as she stared at us for a few seconds, before her face tinted pink. "O-oh, s-sorry!" She bowed, before running back to our room. Me and Touka shared a side-glance of confusion, until it both hit us.

 

Touka had an arm around my waist, and another around my head, and I had both of my arms around _her_ waist. Not to mention, in our current position, our heads facing door from over our shoulders, our noses were nearly touching, and our lips were inches apart. And Aya probably found us with our heads cuddled together, so that added on.

 

Finally realizing our position, our faces went beet-red, as Touka scrambled off the chair, practically sprinting back to her own. I had a headache from the sobbing, but I was nice to have someone else there, at least. "How are you feeling?" Touka asked, casually sipping her coffee, as if nothing happened. I was surprised that our coffee was still warm, more than anything.

 

"Better, thanks for that." I said, taking in a deep breath at the end, as Touka nodded. "You said your father was a human..." Touka said, before raising her head to me. "There's no other reason you'd be out here if they didn't kill him." She said, looking for confirmation, as I nodded. "Bastards, so they'd kill one of their own, just like that." She muttered. "I guess being in love with a Ghoul, and more so having children with one, is a serious crime." I said, as Touka nodded. "It is. We're hated enough as it is, imagine a human, one of their own, sleeping with such a _'vile creature'_ ; that would surely warrant death. A traitor to your own." Touka finished, as I looked to the window behind her, Mado's words replaying in my head.

 

'Hmm, how shameful. A human, betraying his own kind, by interbreeding with one of you monsters. Pitiful, really, but anyone who throws their lot in with the likes of you, deserves it.' The sentence repeated in my head, as I remembered it clearly.

 

"Pitiful." I muttered to myself, dazing off into the window. Touka noticed this, snapping her fingers in my direction, breaking me out of my trance. "How long ago did the attack happen?" Touka asked. "Umm, just a few months ago, June." I said, as Touka's eyes widened. "Wait, what's the date now?" I asked. "August Twelfth..." She trailed off. "Oh." I muttered, looking down. We sat in silence for another awkward minute, before I spoke up again.

 

"I'm surprised my coffee's not gotten cold, feel the cup." I said, trying to lighten the mood, pushing the cup over to Touka, who put hers down, wrapping her fingers around my cup for a second, before shrugging, going back to her own cup, as I grabbed mine again.

 

"Thanks for warming it up." I smirked at my cup. Touka looked at me weirdly for a second, taking a sip of her coffee, before her face erupted into red, as she practically chocked on it. She covered her mouth so none would splatter everywhere. At this point, I'd finished my coffee, and Touka had gulped hers down. She stood up again, looking me dead in the eyes, a small smirk on her face.

 

"Lesson two: Cleaning." She said. I let out a small groan, picking up both of our cups, setting them in the sink, and turning the water on. "How am I going to explain _that_ to my little sister?" I asked, looking to Touka, who shrugged, already knowing what I was referring to.

 

"Think about that later, you missed a spot." She said. I looked at the coffee cup in my hands in disbelief. "How did I miss a spot? There wasn't even time for the coffee to cool to leave marks!" I said. "Don't make up excuses. Besides, you should be cleaning that with a rag." Touka said, going into another cupboard, and pulling out a rag, throwing it in my face, as I deeply inhaled.

 

"Oo~ Is this yours, Touka-chan?" I teased, taking off the rag, she to see a hand come to my face. I flew to my left from the impact of the slap that Touka had given me, touching the area where she'd hit me, looking at her with a smirk. Oh God, her face was so red!

 

'You're really getting on her nerves, aren't you?' I heard Dove say. "Aww, shy?" I asked, as Touka looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it, pointing to the sink. I chuckled, walking back to the sink. "Never knew you were into such an act." I teased. Touka froze, her cheeks on fire. "No-I-I-j-just wash the damn thing!" And with that, Touka stormed out of the room. I smiled, now knowing how easy it was to fluster Touka. It was quite entertaining to do.

 

'Now onto you.' I thought. 'I don't remember saying that you could come back!' I shouted internally. 'Neither do I!' Dove shouted back, a joking tone lacing his voice, as I grumbled. 'Besides, I couldn't let you forget about me, and it's been quite a while, so I was just curious.' He explained. 'How long have you been here?' I asked. 'Shortly before Touka hugged you.' He said, as I nodded. I'd rinsed off the two coffee cups, soaping the up slightly, before drying them, putting them back in the cupboard where Touka found them. I rinsed my face, as I probably had tear streaks running down my face, before exiting the room. Walking down the hallway, a door opened up, revealing Touka. Her face was still tinted red, but less so. She walked out, approaching me, before sighing.

 

"We're going to have to get you some of your own clothes, soon." She stated, looking me over. "Did you wash the cups?" She asked, as I nodded. "Did you put them back?" She asked. "Yup, I just looked into where you got them, and put them in with the others!" I said. "Stacked?" She pressed on, as I nodded.

 

"Great, now let's get started with cleaning. I'll show you where everything is." Touka said, going downstairs, as I followed. Going through the 'Employees Only' door, to the café, Touka went behind the counter. The lights were shut off, and the door was closed, so we didn't have to worry about us being in regular clothes... until Touka turned on the main lights. She kneeled down behind the counter, motioning me over. "This is where we keep the cleaning supplies for the main room. Try, for the love of God, to keep them here, in this shelf. I don't need the customers drinking Windex." She said, giving me a deadpan look from the corner of her eyes, as I nodded.

 

"You got it!" I said. Nodding, Touka got up, shutting off the lights, going back upstairs, as I followed, closing the door behind us. "You can get back inside for the day, I have tests to get done." She said, going into her room, as I walked back to our room, to see Aya.

 

'Now to explain what she saw.' I mentally sighed. 'Yeah, good luck with that.' A sarcastic voice said in my head. Oh fuck off.


	15. Pasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making some more cups under the watchful eye of Touka Kirishima, Rei gets curious for an in-depth story about Touka's past, meanwhile, Yoshimura, Kaya, and Koma come back from their trip.

After having to explain to Aya that what she saw, was no more than a friendship moment, I stayed in the room with her for the rest of the day, watching cartoons, with her on my lap.

 

Now, it was the next day, and I wanted to get a bit better at coffee-making, but it seemed Touka had the same idea, because as soon as I stepped out of the door, Touka stepped out of hers, looking straight into my eyes.

 

"C'mon. I want to get you used to the café before Yoshimura gets back." She said, walking off back into the kitchen area. "No problem." I said, as Touka turned her head to looked at me from over her shoulder.

 

"Oh? Were you expecting something else from me? Didn't know you get so comfortable with my comments  _that_ fast." I teased, making Touka grumble under her breath, turning her head forward, going back into the kitchen. She ran her fingers through her hair, probably looking for something for me to do. "I... actually can't think of anything." She sighed, looking around. "What about you?" I asked, as Touka turned to face me, confusion evident in her eyes.

 

"I told you my story, what's yours?" I cleared up, as her eyes widened. She stared at me for a few seconds, before sighing. "Fine..." She muttered. "I guess I owe that much." She said. "I'll get some coffee ready." I said, grabbing all the necessary ingredients. I put in the filter, putting the water kettle I had on the stove, before sitting down.

 

"Well, just tell me how you ended up here." I said, as Touka nodded, looking down. "Well... it was my father. Our mother, was killed when were still babies, didn't know anything. Our dad said she was out hunting... and she never came back." She explained. My mind went back to Kyoko, the morning she came injured. "Me and my brother, Ayato, were too young to know anything was wrong. He's... just a year younger than me." She said. "So wait... you talk of him in present tense, why haven't I seen him yet?" I asked. Surprisingly, just like English, I knew everything about everyone, even Ayato. I guess I should thank Dove for that, if he had anything to do with it. Touka tensed up at my question. "I'll get to that in a second." She spoke. "He... left, I'm sure, because of me, though." She solemnly said.

 

Suddenly, the kettle started to whistle, as I jumped up, turning off the stove, grabbing the kettle, and pouring the water over the coffee grains. As the last drops of water came out, I set the water kettle aside, sitting back down with Touka, as the coffee began to filter into the decanter. I sat back down, waiting for the story.

 

"Our father started to leave daily, and, like our mother, didn't know why, but I found out. He was hunting down Doves, killing them, almost like revenge. One night, he told me to take good care of Ayato, teach him everything... he didn't come back, either. We went to our neighbor, Satou, to live with her. She was about... mid-forties, I think. The bitch ended up ratting us out to Doves, they stormed the house, and they nearly grabbed Ayato. I... killed every single one of them." She said the last sentence, venom dripping from her voice, before continuing. "Eventually, after running away, we landed here. We hung around the area, hunting with each other, before Yoshimura began to invite us over often. He ended up taking us in, offered us school, a stable life... a place to live. My brother, Ayato, didn't want to go. He ended up hating humans, with almost a passion, saying that I'd die if I kept going to school. He started to do things on his own, go anywhere I wasn't. I started to worry about him so much, not even realizing that he's just trying to be independent. He left recently, and... have you heard of the chaos going on in the Fourteenth Ward?" She asked, looking up from her hands to me. I shook my head in response.

 

"Well, I've caught word, that it's Ayato doing all of that." She said, sounding like she was trying not to cry. I got up, going to her, wrapping my arms around her neck, like she did to me, yesterday. She threw her arms around me, before she began to sob into my shoulder. I dragged my hands down her back, comforting her, as she began to calm down, leaning into me. I leaned back, looking her in the eyes with a soft smile.

 

"Hey, there's only so much us big sisters can do. We'll have to slowly let our grip go on them, until they're ready to take care of themselves." I said, trying to be brave, as like hell I'd ever want to leave Aya. Touka nodded, leaning back into me.

 

"Then again, just because we have to let the leash loosen a bit, doesn't mean that they're off it, so trailing them around for a while might help, to keep them out of trouble." I joked, as Touka laughed slightly.

 

Getting off her, I poured the coffee that was now finished into two cups, giving one to Touka who tried to drink it, but she ended up in a hiccupping fit, spilling half the cup on her. Due to how long it sat there, it was more warm now, than hot. Giggling, I took it away from her setting it on the counter, grabbing a towel to soak up the liquid.

 

"Thanks." She breathed out, sniffling. I patted her on her back, before she gave me a death glare. "You tell anyone about this, I swear to God." She threatened. I nervously laughed, shaking my head. I set down my down coffee, taking a sip, as Touka took in a deep breath, sipping hers.

 

"Mmm, you're decent. It's a pass." She said.

 

"Now that hurt. After all I've said to you, you call me 'decent'? How mean!" I teased, as Touka just closed her eyes, sighing, as a slight pink brushed over her. It seemed that she was getting used to my antics already.

 

'Yo, umm. If you were in a school, like, in anther universe, not anime, or anything, just like a... hypothetical question here. You wouldn't mind being, an assassin... right?' I heard dove asked.

 

'No... I think could handle it. Why?' I asked back, confused, and slightly scared as to what he was planning.

 

'Juuuuuust checking. Doooon't… worry... about... uh, it.' He finished, as if he was strained on something. 'Braid? No...' He whispered to himself, trailing off.

 

'Dove, what are you doing?' I asked, concerned.

 

'Huh? Oh, nothing! Bye!' He said. Shit... what was he up to? Hmm.

 

"Oi!" I heard Touka shout at me, as I looked up, shocked at the sudden noise. "You're spacing out." She said, her eyes red and puffy. I smiled apologetically at her.

 

"Sorry." I said, as Touka grumbled, shaking her head in response.

 

"Umm, hey, quick question. Is there anyone I should be particularly worried about in this ward? Like... people or places to stay away from?" I asked, hoping to get the answer 'Tsukiyama' out of her.

 

"Yeah, so far, one guy. Tsukiyam Shuu. Purple hair, purple eyes, dresses fancy, mostly in suits, speaks enough French to confuse you, generally gives off a creepy vibe." Touka said, giving a look that said, 'I'm warning you'. I nodded in response, muttering a thank you.

 

Shortly afterwards we'd finished out cups, as I put mine in the sink. "Do you want me to wash yours?" I asked, as Touka nodded. I put her cup in the sink, before hugging her again. She leaned into me again, not hugging, but it was good enough for me.

 

"Thanks for listening to my sob story." Touka mumbled, as I smile at her.

 

"No thanks needed. We're just more similar than we thought." I answered, as Touka nodded.

 

Suddenly the bell to the store rang, as Touka cleaned up her face. "Don't rush yourself." I said, rinsing off the coffee marks. Wait... that scent... it was Yoshimura! And two others. Could it be?

 

"Touka." I heard the deep voice of Yoshimura come through.

 

"Yes, sir?!" She responded. I grabbed her hand, bringing her closer. She looked at me in confusion, but I nodded to her, giving her a 'go with it' look. We both went down the stops together, as we entered the main room, Touka jammed onto me, as Kaya, Koma and Yoshimura gave her a weird look.

 

"Touka, you good?" Koma asked, as Touka nodded.

 

"She just needed a hug." I said, wrapping my arms around her, as Touka reluctantly halfway slid her arms onto me. Yoshimura smiled at me, glad to see I was able to get along with Touka. Kaya went behind the counter, looking at it. Oh yeah, Touka made me clean the counters yesterday, too, shortly after going back into our rooms.

 

"The counter's clean." Kaya said, almost admiring it. I just wiped down the fucking thing with a rag, calm down.

 

"Touka, tonight, we have to get food. I would like you to take Rei with you, to show her what to do. You'll both be going with Yomo." He said, as Touka and I nodded.

 

"Yes, sir." She said, as Yoshimura nodded in approval of us.

 

"Well, we all must rest. We had a tiring time trying to clear things up in the Thirteenth Ward." He stated, as I glanced at Touka, seeing her slightly tense up. "There was a binge-eating Ghoul there, ruining lives of humans and Ghouls both, that we had to put down." he explained, as I saw Touka ease up. "You two go back up for the day. I trust you had her educated on the basics?" He asked, as Touka nodded. Returning the gesture, I turned around, Touka still on me, as we went to our rooms.

 

I slowly dragged my fingers through Toukas' hair, as she stiffened, but calmed down, quickly. An arm around her waist, I looked at her.

 

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, as Touka nodded. "Because I think you're just fine." A fell to the floor as she elbowed me. Looking up, I saw her red face, as she slammed the door shut. I smirked. Making Touka blush like that was something I'd never imagined I'd ever be able to do. Yet I'd done it, like, what... five times, now?

 

I got up, clutching my side, as I walked off to my room, Aya in there. She turned to look at me.

 

"Onee-san!" She said, running up to me. I swear, I leave the room and she acts like I left her.

 

"Hiya, Aya!" I said, giggling, as she did too. I picked her up, lying down on the futon, at the back, as Aya was pressed against my chest. I rested my chin on top of hers, as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

'No one's touching you, Aya.' I thought.

 

'Aww, how swee-'

 

'SHUT UP!'


	16. Eventful Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going with Yomo and Touka for 'food shopping' Rei gets to tag along, thinking that it will be their only job. However, Touka surprises her by taking her to an old friend's, and as if that wasn't enough, someone that Rei didn't expect to see out on the streets, somehow makes his way to her.

I sat in the back of the car with Touka, as she sat behind with me. Yomo had actually given her a short, weird look, before getting into the car, himself, as we drove off. She must not sit in the back, often. It was a pleasant drive, quiet, except for some faint music from the car, and the sounds of the busy city of Tokyo. Funny, I never thought I would actually see Tokyo in real life, but here I am, seeing in, in an animated form. The colors of it were also very vibrant, as many billboards and signs advertised many things. It was so beautiful.

 

So yeah, Touka had barged into my room and dragged me off Aya, and that's how I was brought out here.

 

I sleepily leaned on Touka, who was in the center seat, me on the left, as Yomo drove, obviously on the right, considering this is Japan. I felt her head lean onto mine, as I let out a small smile. The big, bad Touka, so cold, except to those she really cared about, and I got on her good side in less that a week. That _has_ to be an award. I closed my eyes, drifting off into sleep.

 

* * *

 

I jolted awake as the car door opened, making Touka jump, too. I looked at the side, my bakugan activated, as I panted heavily. Yomo just stared at us blankly.

 

"We're here." He said, walking off. I took in some deep breathes, calming myself down, and I took off the seatbelt. Another nightmare. All I remember are flames, and blood. That's all they ever are. Getting out, I took a deep breath. I felt Touka softly grab my sleeve, sticking close to me, as she moved towards Yomo, pulling me with her. We were at the area Yomo takes Kaneki 'food shopping'.

 

"So, how do we go about this?" I asked, as Yomo looked over the edge, letting out a small hum. Without warning, he jumped off, down to the bottom.

 

"Let's go." Touka said, letting go of my hand, as she jumped down with him. I was hesitant for a few seconds, before I leaped of the edge, myself.

 

Landing at the bottom (on my feet, no less), I approached Touka, who was standing near Yomo. Surprisingly, even though that was the first time I'd landed at such a height, my legs didn't hurt. He had a duffle bag in his hands, as he set it down... near a dead body.

 

"Oh my God." I mouthed to myself, feeling a chill wash over me, as a pit in my stomach formed.

 

"Lots of people come here to take their own lives, so we come here to take their bodies, making sure they don't go to waste." He explained, before looking to me.

 

"Pack him up." He ordered, as I nodded. Approaching the body, putting my hands in a praying motion.

 

'Thank you for the food.' I thought, as I began to pick up and stuff the body into the bag. 'Noooo problem.' Good Christ.

 

Zipping up the bag, and picking it up, Yomo extended his hand to me, as I quietly gave him the stuffed bag. He nodded, before turning around.

 

"Good. Let's go." He said, jumping up on the cliff, using his legs to keep momentum. Touka nodded at me, before doing the same.

 

'I'm not built for this shit.' I mentally sighed. I jumped with, pushing off the cliff with my legs, as I moved up. I felt a burning sensation, but I ignored it. Finally reaching the top. I fell to my knees, slowly getting back on my feet, as I walked to the car. Yomo was already inside, as the hum from the engine filled my ears. Touka was standing to the left of the car, door open, where we came out. She motioned me in, getting in herself, before I did.

 

Buckling our seatbelts, Yomo drove off. The entire ride back, it looked like Touka had something on her mind. I tugged on her sleeve slightly, breaking her from her thoughts, as she looked to me.

 

"Something wrong?" I whispered to her. Touka shook her head, before looking back to me.

 

"No, but you need a mask. Yoshimura asked me to get one for you, so when we get back to Anteiku, you're coming with me." She stated, as I nodded, looking back out the windows. The mountain range of this area was absolutely beautiful.

 

I kept staring out the window, looking at the snow-topped mountains.

 

'Kyoko would've loved to see something like this.' I thought, my vision becoming blurry. Who knows, maybe she  _did_ come across this area once. I just wanted to see this in real life with her... and Akashi, too.

 

I felt a cloth on my eyes, as my vision cleared. Looking over, I saw Touka, who gave me a gentle smile, as I returned it. Grabbing my arm, she pulled me a little closer, as I wrapped both arms around hers.

 

'Wow, you  _really_ got on her good side.' I heard. Heh, yeah, I did.

 

* * *

 

Getting back to Anteiku, we all got out of the car, closing our doors. Yomo took the bag inside the café, while Touka motioned me to follow her. Is she taking me to Uta? I remember seeing the time on a little dashboard in the car, and it said '11:23 P.M'. Does he stay up that late?

 

I didn't even realize that Touka was once again holding my sleeve. A smile on my face, it evolved into a small smirk. In one swift motion, I'd moved my hand, so I was now holding hers, my fingers interlocked. Touka looked back, stunned, as her face went red, before she grumbled, hesitantly moving her fingers to hold onto my hand. I had to say, in the moonlight, Touka looked really beautiful.

 

"Hey, can you stop that?" I was snapped out of my trance by Touka's soft yet harsh voice. She was looking at me, slightly pissed off, a stern look in her eyes.

 

"Sorry..." I said, going to explain myself, as my face went red. Touka raised an eyebrow. If  _I_ was blushing, then it had to have been bad. "Y-you just look pretty." I said. Touka's face erupted into red, stuttering, before she abruptly spun on her heels, violently tugging me along with her.

 

'Smooth.' Dove said.

 

'Thanks, I try.' I sarcastically thought, hearing a laugh.

 

It had only taken us about ten more minutes, before we reached an area that looked like a slum. There was graffiti on the walls, and it looked just run down. Yep, this was Uta's. So she knew him from way back when, huh?

 

It didn't take us long to reach a door that was down a couple steps, with a light above it that read 'HySy ArtMask Studio.' Yep, this Uta's. Touka seemed hesitant to move at first, looking at me form the corner of her eyes, my own green ones staring into the blue-purple hue hers had.

 

"You look pretty, too." She mumbled. In my state of still shock after being literally called pretty by Touka Kirishima, she dragged me down the steps, quite quickly, making me lose my footing. We both went through a door, as I saw it was covered with checkered tiles, masks everywhere, as some soft music played.

 

"Uta?" She called out, a soft tone to her voice, though still loud enough to be heard. My ears picked up approaching footsteps, as... the man himself came out.

 

"Ah, Touka." He greeted, giving a small wave. "How does your mask fit?" He asked. Touka gave a small chuckle to his question.

 

"It fits well, thank you. I'm sorry to barge in so late at night, but Mr. Yoshimura wanted me to get her a mask. She's our newest member to Anteiku." Touka explained. Uta walked over to a chair, giving a 'follow me' motion with his hands, as I went with him, my grip on Touka loosening. I'd just realized we practically held hands the entire way here, and still did in front of Uta.

 

"It's quite alright, I don't close shop until three." He said. Damn. I motioned for me to sit down on a chair, which I did, as he took a measuring tape, putting it around my head.

 

"Have you come from the Twentieth Ward? Or moved here?" He asked.

 

"I came here from the Thirteenth Ward." I responded, as Uta took the tape off my head.

 

"Hmm, yes, I hear that tensions have been quite bad there lately. Any friends?" He asked.

 

"Just my sister." I answered.

 

"Older?"

 

"Younger." I said. In the mirror, I could see him slightly adjusting the tape, to get a more exact measurement.

 

"Any  _actual_ friends, acquaintances?" He asked, picking up a notepad, writing things down.

 

"Uhh. I guess Touka counts." I answered.

 

"I've only known her for a while, but I'm sure that Touka doesn't just hold hands with anyone. How long have you known her?" He asked.

 

"A little less than a week." I replied.

 

"Then there must be something special about you." He said. I looked at him in the eyes, from the top of mine, as we shared a moment of silence.

 

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry, this is just ink." He said, pointing to his eyes. I looked around, from using the mirror, and took a small breath through my nose. Yep, we were the only people in here. Looking back to Uta, I activated my Bakugan. His eyes widened slightly, but they quickly returned to normal.

 

"Ah, so that explains why you're here." He muttered, as he looked back to his notepad, before setting it down.

 

"Thank you, I will have it ready by next week, if supplies don't come in late." He said. Touka looked at him, as she was pacing around the room, looking at various masks.

 

"Thank you, Uta." She said, as he nodded to her, before leaving to a back room. Touka stuffed her hands in her pockets, motioning with her head for me to follow her, as I closely trailed behind.

 

Exiting the studio, we went up the stairs. Touka looked at me, taking a hand out of her pocket, offering it to me. My left hand found her right, as our fingers interlocked again. We made our way out of the slums, and into the quiet city, believe it or not. Neither of us said a word, as we made our way back to Anteiku. The only interaction we truly had, was occasionally moving our fingers, readjusting them so we didn't loose our grip on the other.

 

Touka and I tensed up when we heard someone walking, just a block away from us, as our grips on each other got tighter.

 

As we approached, the footsteps became louder, until eventually, the person rounded the corne - wait... DOVE?!

 

It  _had_ to be him. White hair, blue eyes, red shoes, sky-blue tee-shirt, and jeans. Not to mention his oh-so-slightly darkened look. He actually looked a bit lighter, but the difference from most people in Japan was still noticeable.

 

He was walking casually, before his eyes landed on me. With a smile, he waved.

 

"Oh, hello!" He said, eyes averting between me and Touka. Touka sent a nod, as I did the same, with a small 'hi' coming from me.

 

After we had gotten some distance between us, Touka looked to me.

 

"You know that guy?" She asked. It would make sense, since his voice was that of recognition. I slowly nodded.

 

"He looks familiar." I responded, looking to her, as she nodded, looking back in front of us.

 

'Only familiar? Ow.' I heard.

 

'Dove, why were you out?' I asked.

 

'I just wanted to walk around a bit, decided I should go out near you.' I heard.

 

'You look lighter.' I said.

 

'Racist, much? Nah, just kidding. Yeah, the years of watching you in the sun made me slightly burnt. It passes through the feathers, it seems.'

 

'Just be careful.' I said.

 

'I am a  _go_ _d_ I am  _always_ carefu - ow, dammit, stubbed my toe.' I heard, making me chuckle, as Touka sent a glance of 'what the fuck?' my way.

 

"Sorry." I apologized, as Touka sighed, returning her eyes to the front.

 

'Okay, I'm going back to my place, Tokyo's boring as hell.' I heard.

 

'Okay, have fun.'

 

'I will!' And with that, the conversation was over.

 

It didn't take long for us to get back to Anteiku, as we entered the shop, going upstairs.

 

"Well, I'm going to my room, goodnight." Touka said, releasing her grip on my hand.

 

"Goodnight." I returned, as I went to my room.

 

When I got in, I saw Aya, curled into a ball on her bed, before she run up to me, hugging me.

 

"Onee-san!" She cried. Chuckling, I kneeled down to her, hugging her.

 

"Sorry, I should have told you where I was going." I apologized, hearing a 'Mhm' from her. Laying a kiss atop her head, I carried her to her bed.

 

"Did you brush your teeth?" I asked, as she nodded.

 

"Good, I'll be back." I said, going into the bathroom to brush mine.

 

While brushing, I recapped the days events. Went to get 'food', got to meet Uta, and am currently in the process of getting a mask, and saw Dove. Nice.

 

Finishing, I went back to our room, seeing Aya, eyes closed. Smiling softly, I went to my own bed, crawling into the covers, as I closed my eyes.


	17. Spending The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei has another nightmare, it seems it's all she ever has, lately. She goes out for a walk, angry, ready to take it out on something. Thankfully, there's someone there for her.

Black, that's all I can see, just an empty void, nothing around for miles. Scoffing, I put my hands to my lips, already knowing what was going on.

 

"Dove!" I called out. No response. I sniffed the air, no smell. I was alone here?

 

"D-Dove! This isn't funny!" I yelled.

 

"I think it's funny!" I heard a manic voice say behind me. I turned around, seeing Kuero Mado again, Quinque in his hand. This time, made from my mothers' kagune. There were flames behind him, this time, they surrounded Anteiku. Dead bodies across the floor. Kaya, Koma, Yoshimura, Touka. All of them, laying on their backs, looking towards the sky, a permanent look of fear in their eyes. Aya, WHERE WAS AYA?!

 

"Where's my sister?" I asked, seething with anger, as tears began to trail from my eyes, my breath hitching. He gave me devilish look, before speaking.

 

"Her? I left her to roast in the shop!" He laughed. My eyes widened, as I let out a small whimper. I burst out my kagune, ready to vault over him. I could leave him to rot, I just wanted to save the only person left alive in my life, now.

 

"Don't bother~!" He sang. The last thing I saw was his Quinque coming at me at a blinding speed, before everything cut to black.

 

* * *

 

I threw myself into a sitting position, taking in a raspy gasp of breath. I felt like I'd been choking, as I tried to regain my breath, pushing myself to the wall behind me. I was covered in sweat, as the liquid occasionally dripped off my chin.

 

I threw myself off the bed, rushing over to Aya. I shakily put a hand softly on her head, as I heard her quiet breaths, indicating she was sleeping. Letting out a shaky sigh, I smiled, almost in a crazy manner, as I fell back, my hands behind me, supporting me, as tears began to freely flow from my eyes, as I closed them, leaning my head back. I had to leave, I had to clear my mind.

 

I got up, heading for the room door. I had to clear my head. Leaving the room, I headed down the stairs, through the door. I made sure to go through as quietly as I could, as not to disturb the bell.

 

Walking down the block, I felt an anger course through me. Doves, CCG... humans; fucked up my life. Wait, my father was a human. Dammit! I'm so confused!

 

I sharply turned a corner, seething with hatred, for anything around at the moment. I paced around, waiting to calm down, but it wasn't working.

 

Out of nowhere, I'd kicked a nearby dumpster, sending it flying, as well as the trash. Setting myself in a corner, I sat down, bringing my knees to my chest, as I buried my head in between them.

 

Taking in a deep breath, I smelt another person. I kicked myself away from the way, my Rinkaku bursting out, as I nearly dodged an attack.

 

Looking behind me, I saw a Ghoul, a Bikaku. This should be easy. He stared at me in complete shock.

 

"The hell?! You're a One-Ey-" He barely dodged the blue appendage coming at him. He swing at my Rinkaku, but I moved it out of the way before he could hit it, as I took another tentacle, sending it through his stomach, before inserting another one in the same area, moving them in opposite directions, tearing him in half.

 

'Tch, dumba-' My thoughts were interrupted when I felt someone's feet on my back, as I was pushed to the ground.

 

"You idiot, what were you thinking?" I heard the stern voice of Touka fill my ears. My Rinkaku dissipated into the air, as I calmed down, feeling the girl get off of me, pulling me up. Looking to her, I was instantly smacked. "You could have gotten killed!" She scolded, staring me down.

 

"I didn't, though." I retorted. Looking at her.

 

"Yeah, because it was me! Imagine if I'd been anyone else! Your head would be halfway across the alley, as your corpse was drenched in your own blood! How am I supposed to explain to an eleven-year-old girl that she's never going to see her sister again?!" She asked, tears streaming down her face.

 

"I…" I didn't know how to respond, my tears had stopped, but a few escaped my eyes. Touka closed her eyes, balling her fists, before walking to me, grabbing my arm, dragging me with her. "Wait." I said, stopping us both, as Touka turned her head to stare me down. I wriggled my arms out of her grasp, heading back to where the lower torso of the corpse was. Turning it around, I tore into the flesh, ripping out the kakuhou, sinking my teeth into it, as I feasted on the organ. It took a lot of willpower to not throw it up, as I eventually stood up, making my way back to Touka, who I nodded at.

 

She sighed, grabbing me by my arm, dragging me along with her, again. "Idiot." He breathed out.

 

"I'm sorry." I muttered hanging my head down, tears slowly escaping my eyes, even though I tried to retain my tough look.

 

We went back to Anteiku, as Touka yanked me up the steps, before throwing me to a door, then passing me. She then went to the door of my room, opening it, entering. I strained my ears to hear anything going on.

 

"Aya?" I heard Touka ask, as a small 'hmm?' was heard. "I'll be borrowing your sister for tonight, okay?" She explained, as I lightly sighed.

 

"Huh? Why?" I heard Aya sleepily ask, hearing the shuffling of sheets.

 

"She did something that wasn't too smart, so in order to keep her from doing something like that again, I'll be borrowing her. You can get her back tomorrow, okay?" Touka responded.

 

"O-okay." Touka chuckled softly.

 

"Goodnight." I heard her footsteps come back out to me. Closing the door, her eyes locked onto me with a half-glare, as I shifted uncomfortably. She grabbed my arm, moving me to the side, as she opened her door, pulling me in after her, and closing it. She then brought me across the room, throwing me onto her bed.

 

"You're getting corner." She blatantly stated, as I nodded. I moved over, as Touka moved the sheets past our feet, before pulling it over us, putting a hand to my chest to shove me down. Turning to my left side, facing the wall, I felt my hair shuffle a bit, as I felt Touka shifting.

 

'The hell?' I turned around, putting my hands below me, to push myself up, but I was stopped soon after by a tug on my scalp. I looking to the lock of hair that seemed to be tighter, than loose, like the others, before tracing the black hair... to purple.

 

She fucking tied our hair together... in a shoelace knot. Her arms folded, she stared at me blankly, waiting for me to lie back down. Sighing, I rested myself on the bed again, pulling the covers over me, that had slid off. Rolling to my left again, I closed my eyes, ready to fall asleep, as I drifted off into nothingness.


	18. Odd Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During Rei's sleep, she has a weird dream, yet, it seems to house some familiar-sounding, and looking people in it. It's also her first official day of work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to be making a lot of chapters from here on out a lot longer. I realized I turn chapters in 'sections' and I feel like that makes them very small (It does). So I'm going to basically going to be putting multiple of the ideas for chapters into one chapter, so you guys will start getting big chapters, and more time to read while I make the next one, a'ight? Kewl.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm also planning for this story, and the next in the series, to have about 50-70 chapters each, but we'll see how it goes!

I was in a room, laying down on a bed, my arms crossed behind my head. My left leg was raised, as my right was crossed over my kneecap, bouncing slightly. I closed my eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet.

 

That was, until I heard a crash.

 

"Oh come on!" I heard a male voice shout.

 

"Not my fault your hand-eye coordination is God-awful!" I feminine voice yelled back.

 

Groaning, I swung my feet off the bed. I walked to the wooden door, which seemed oddly familiar... yes... a door. Though on the way there, I passed a mirror. Stopping in my tracks, I looked back.

 

I had pink hair, with strands of white. I had on a red uniform, and... horns? They were small, and there was a metallic-looking headband on top of my head, that seemed to go around them.

 

"Hmm, weird." I said. My voice also sounded a bit off. Opening the door, and approaching the source of the sound, I was met with couches, rounded, arranged in a circular motion. There were multiple people there, ten in total. there was a chestnut haired boy, with purple eyes, arguing with an auburn-haired girl, with blue eyes. Everyone else was crowded around them, watching the scene unfold. I walked over to a small girl, with dark-blue hair, and light green eyes, before speaking.

 

"What happened?" I asked, leaning over to her.

 

"Zorome and Miku were playing catch with an empty cup, and Zorome ending up flailing his arms, causing the cup to fly across the room, hitting a wall, and breaking." She sighed. I nodded. I felt a hand grab mine, as I was softly pulled away. Looking to who it was, it was a girl, pink hair, around my height, with horns on her head, as I had, with the same metal band and uniform. She led me to a boy with black hair and green eyes, standing next to him, pulling me closer, making me bump into her, before snaking her arm around my waist.

 

* * *

 

I opened my eyes, looking up at the ceiling. Blinking a couple times, turning my head to move around, I felt a bit of resistance on my neck. Looking at the source of it from the corner of my eyes, I saw Touka, her face buried in my neck, as she slept, curled up next to me. Her hands were wrapped around my right arm, as she nuzzled in closer.

 

Smiling softly, I gently laid a small kiss atop her forehead, before resting my head atop hers, closing my eyes. I scrunched my brows, as the last thoughts came into my mind.

 

'What the fuck was I dreaming about Darling in the FRANXX for?'

 

* * *

 

Opening my eyes again, I saw a wooden table. My hard rested in my arms, that were folded over in front of me. I lifted my head up, seeing the black around me again, my vision blurred. I shook my head, rubbing my eyes, to better view the area around me. In front of me, was Dove, as he poured from a teapot, into two cups. He was staring the teapot, very concentrated.

 

"Hello~!" He said, not taking his eyes off the pot. When he was finished, he slid a cup over to me, which I carefully grabbed, taking a sip. Mmm, peppermint.

 

"Hey, Dove." I responded. "What do you need?" I asked, looking at him from the teacup.

 

"Well... it's actually the dream you had." He said, as I looked to him with wide eyes.

 

"You can see my dreams, too?!" I shouted, as he put his hands up in defense.

 

"Yes, yes, but... hear me out, here." He calmed me down, as I let out a small sigh. "So, it was Darling in the FRANXX, right?" He said, as I nodded. "Well... let's just say... Tokyo Ghoul isn't exactly  _all_... you'll be doing." He said, eyebrows and face scrunched, as if he was trying to find the right way to put it. I stared at him blankly for a few seconds.

 

"Wait... what do you mean?" I asked. He took a sip of his tea.

 

"I mean your life won't stop at Tokyo Ghoul. I've... planned a small list, basically." He admitted. I set the teacup down, looking at him with scrunched up eyebrows.

 

"So you're saying, that you've planned... other lives for me?" I asked, as he nodded. "Like what?" I asked.

 

"I can't tell you, it ruins the surprise, but I guess your mind mixed in with the other body's mind, causing a sort of dream sequence, even though you're not even using it yet. I'd been planning this a while. Think of all the cool stuff you get to do!" He shouted, throwing his arms up in the air, as I hung my head.

 

"Yeah, this life's been pretty  _fucking_ fun." I spat through gritted teeth, venom dripping from my words, as small teardrops came from my eyes. I sighed, crying's not going to bring them back. I grabbed my teacup, throwing my head back, as my mouth was filled with the hot brown liquid, before swallowing, causing a burning sensation in my throat.

 

"Ah." I sighed, holding it in pain, as I heard a chuckle.

 

"Careful there, Superman. You're not a Ghoul, here." He said. I nodded, sighing again. When the pain had subsided, I looked up to Dove.

 

"So, has that body been in official use? Did the scenario actually happen? Or is it just a temporary combining of the two minds, like a sync?" I asked.

 

"The second one." He answered. I looked down again.

 

"Am I happy in the other ones?" I asked.

 

"Well... I don't know. Listen, I know this is tough," I scoffed. "do you really want to leave Aya by herself?" I attempted to kick the table up, to scare him, but I ended up banging my knee on the bottom, as I hissed in pain, much to Dove's amusement, as he wheezed.

 

"Ahahahaha! Okay, you really don't have the best memory, do you?" He said, his chest hitching with his laughs. I rested my head on the table in defeat, as I held my knee with both hands. I looked at him from the top of my eyes, as he calmed down.

 

"So, should I expect scenarios like that again?" I asked. He tilted his head side to side.

 

"More or less, though I want to keep that from happening... spoilers." He said.

 

"Right."

 

"ALSO!" He yelled, standing up from his chair, his index finger on his right hand pointing up. "I've been doing some renovating." He said, bowing, as he snapped his fingers. The words to describe the area I was in now was... beautiful? Astounding? Breathtaking? I don't even think there are any words in the universe for that.

 

There was green, all around, flowers, big and small, and trees everywhere. There were three waterfalls, one behind us, one to our left, and the most massive, the one in front of us. We were perched atop a small cliff, which was a jut-out from the large wall of rock we were on. I got up to peer over. They all pooled into small ponds, making a river, that led into what looked like a cave. Naturally, the water from the massive waterfall was overflowing.

 

"It's... beautiful." I whispered.

 

"I know, right? Anyway, while you're off here, this doesn't really count as dream land, so your actual mind is off doing something else, dreaming some weird shit. I'll bring you back now, and be sure to keep in touch." He said, as I nodded to him. I didn't want to leave this beautiful place, but I had no choice. Maybe I could bring Aya one day.

 

"Wait." I said, hearing a hum.

 

"How long have you lived here, and just  _now_ you're doing renovations?" I asked, as Dove chuckled.

 

"Well, I was content with nothingness for a while, then I got bored of it." He said.

 

"Oh. Okay." I responded. He nodded to me, finishing the conversation, before snapping his fingers.

 

* * *

 

I woke up to a fist on my stomach. Letting out a huff of air, I looked to my right, seeing Touka, on her hands and knees on the bed, her right hand on my chest, as a fist, before setting it below her. Her hair was set to the right of her, our tied locks visible. So that's why she was in such an interesting position. She was also beet red.

 

"Oh, Touka. Sleep well?" I asked, even though it was still night.

 

"I was trying to, until I heard my name called. I wake up, and I hear you moaning my damn name." She scowled, as I too, blushed. What the hell was I thinking about in my sleep?! Deciding to play it off I came up with the first thing I could think of.

 

"Not my fault dream you can work tongue." I said, closing my eyes, turning my head to the left, facing the wall, and folding my arms, before shooting them back open. Did... DID I ACTUALLY JUST FUCKING SAY THAT?!

 

"Wha-!" Touka squeal-stuttered. She didn't say anything more, just pulled the sheets atop my head, before settling back in herself.

 

"Are you tho-"

 

"Shut... up."

 

_**~ Time-Skip ~** _

 

 "Rei." I heard. Groaning, I flipped over, to feel a tug at my scalp. I let out a forceful sigh through my nose, tugging at it slightly by jolting my head forwards slightly. "Rei." The voice came, louder this time.

 

"Whaat, Touka?" I grumbled, rolling back over to Touka's voice.

 

"We need to get up." She said. I groaned, stretching, before I heard a pair of scissors cutting, before being thrown out of bed. With a squeal, I brought myself up, looking into the eyes of Touka.

 

"Tch, come on, it's your first day of work. Yoshimura is working on officially taking you in, so you can go to school with me." She said, arms folded, before going to the bathroom.

 

"Oh." Was all I said. I went to the door to the room, opening it, as I stepped into the hallway, before going to my own room. Aya was still asleep, as I made my way to the bathroom, brushing my teeth. While I was doing so, my mind wandered back to the dream. Other lives, huh?

 

I wondered what I'd be doing next. Would it be interesting? Fun? Dangerous? I lifted up my legs, one at a time, stretching them out. I finished brushing, before leaving my room, seeing Touka standing, her arms folded, with her school uniform on.

 

"You didn't shower." She stated.

 

"Oh!" I squealed, turning back around, going back into my room, into the shower.

 

* * *

 

Yawning, I dried up, my hair being a bitch, per usual.

 

"Tch, come on! Stop being an asshole." I grumbled to myself, trying to comb it, with the comb already in the bathroom, which was nice. Finally giving up, I decided to just put it up I a ponytail, until I realized.

 

I don't know how to make a ponytail.

 

FUCK!

 

Grumble-whining, I put on the waitress uniform, band in hand, as I left my room, seeing Touka leaning against the wall opposite my door, arms folded, as she tapped her foot impatiently.

 

"Finally, I'll be late to school because of you." She said. I said nothing, as I held up the band with two fingers in a witless manner, a derpy look on my face. As Touka stared at me blankly, mouth slightly agape, before sighing.

 

"You  _have_ to be kidding me." She muttered, approaching me, before grabbing my shoulders, forcefully spinning me around, slightly pushing me to the wall.

 

"Woah, few steps you missed in this relationship." I said, only to hear a deep inhale from Touka, who was most likely refraining from thoroughly kicking the absolute shit out of me. I felt her mess with and adjust my hair, lifting it up, before I felt the band being tied around it.

 

"There, that should hold it up." She said, as I moved my hand up to feel it, before it was smacked away. "Don't screw with it." She said.

 

"Alright." I said, turning to face her, giving her a smile, as she huffed, going down the stairs, motioning for me to follow her, as we'd gone to the main floor.

 

"Okay, so..." She trailed off, looking at a clock. "It's five thirty-nine, so when six hits, you go outside, there's the billboard outside, you turn that around so it says 'open'. After that, you just take orders from custo...mers… shit. You were only told about how to make pure black coffee, right?" I nodded. Touka cursed under her breath, before continuing. "Just take their orders, there's small milk cups underneath the counter, you'll find them- actually, no, here." She said, dragging me around to the counter, showing the small cups to me.

 

"Most customers that will come in around this time will order either black coffee, or some coffee with milk, just make sure you don't poison them with the Windex, or spit in their drinks." She said, getting a small chuckle from me. My chuckle wasn't the only one I'd heard, as Dove had a small laugh, too.

 

"Well, I have to go now, see you later." She said, walking off.

 

"Bye." I said, before looking around the shop. Save for Aya, I was the only person here. Clapping my hands, I waited, and waited.

 

* * *

 

It was now six, and I'd headed out to turn the billboard around, saying it was open. Going back inside, it wasn't long before a man came in, around his twenties, a suit on, kempt hair, and a serious expression.

 

"Coffee please, just regular, nothing in it, I woke up late today." He said, as I nodded, setting up the coffee machine.

 

"Of course." I responded. Looks like I was lucky for my first customer to just want some black coffee. "Would you like anything else?" I asked, tilting my head slightly, as the man shook his head.

 

As soon as the coffee had finished brewing, I looked around some cupboards for a to-go cup. Finally finding one, I turned to the man sheepishly.

 

"Sorry, it's my first day working here." I said apologetically. He smiled at me.

 

"No problem." He responded. I poured the coffee into the cup, putting a lid on it, before putting in through a register.

 

"That will be two-hundred Yen, please." I said, as the man dug into his wallet, pulling out two hundred Yen coins out of his pocket, as I put it into the small register. Should have probably also said Touka showed me how to use this, too.

 

"Thank you for coming." I said, nodded to him with a small bow, as he returned the gesture, power-walking outside.

 

Letting out a small sigh to myself, I could hear the small footsteps of Aya in the top floor, as I smiled to myself. Turning around, deciding to get another set of water for the next customer, I heard the bell ring, signifying someone coming in, as I just began to turn around to put the water in the coffee machine.

 

"Be right with you!" I said, looking at the coffee machine, very concentrated so I didn't see who came in. Wait, that smell... I stopped pouring when I heard the familiar voice, a smirk finding its' way to my face.

 

"I'll have two mochas, a large mocha, a macchiato with extra steamed milk, a cappuccino, two lattes, and a large frappe." The man said.

 

"Dove..." I trailed off, silently laughing, looking at him, with his stupid grin.

 

"'Ello!" He said, with an obviously forced British accent. He had his hands behind his back, bringing them to me. It held a small book, with a pen.

 

"Thought you might want a diary, to keep you sane." He said, handing it to me. I took to, studying it. It was a simple softback, leather book diary. I flipped through the pages, empty. I looked back up to him, a smile on my face.

 

"Thanks, Dove." I said, he nodded. I set it underneath the counter, along with the pen, as I rose to my feet, Dove nowhere in sight. I looked back down, just to make sure I didn't hallucinate. Yep, they were both still there. Just then, Kaya and Koma came in, smiling at me, as I returned the gesture.

 

"Anyone in yet?" Koma asked, as I nodded.

 

"One customer, just wanted a black coffee." I answered, as Koma gave me a thumbs up. My smile widened in response.

 

"Did Touka teach you how to make mochas? Or anything?" Kaya quietly asked. I shook my head.

 

"No. It was mostly how to work the machine, and showing me where everything was. I made pure black coffee a few times. But it was never anything complicated." I answered. Kaya nodded, as Koma looked to her.

 

"Touka's still practically new, as well." Koma said, as Kaya nodded in understanding.

 

"True." Kaya said. "I'll teach you everything when we get off our shift." She said, as I nodded.

 

* * *

 

The day was... actually uneventful. Like, nothing happened. I guess I should take that as a good day, being my first actually working.

 

I was upstairs with Kaya, learning about different coffee types, and how to make them. We were suddenly interrupted when a thud, like an animal smashing into the window by us broke us out of our focus.

 

'Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-huhuuhuuuu-.' I heard a whine in my head. Clenching my jaw to not laugh, Kaya walked over to the window, opening it to look down, before sighing slightly, closing the window, before walking back to me.

 

"It's a poor dove." She stated, walking back to the pot.

 

"A dove?" I asked, as she nodded. Letting out a small hum, I nodded.

 

'What the hell were you doing, Dove?' I asked, going back to the pot... the coffee pot.

 

'I honestly don't know... you ever do something stupid just because you're bored as hell?' He responded.

 

'That was me for the majority of my first life, yes.' I responded.

 

'I wanted to see if smashing into a window would feel like.'

 

'Did you get your answer?'

 

'Owwwwww.' I smiled slightly. I'd actually spent most of the day up here with Kaya, as Yoshimura and Koma were downstairs, taking care of a relatively slow floor.

 

I heard the bell ding, as a familiar scent came through; Touka. I heard the greetings, as I felt Kaya pat my head. She probably sensed my excitement, or my relaxation... probably both, due to me being more comfortable with Touka as she was my same age.

 

I heard her walk past, as I focused on making the mocha.

 

"I'll go see if the others need help downstairs, I'll be back." Kaya said, as I nodded to her, going back to the attempted mocha. I heard someone walking behind me, as I turned around, seeing Dove, a small iPhone in his left hand. He put his finger to his lips.

 

"Don't worry, no one can hear or see me. Magic, bitch." He said, snapping the fingers of his free hand. He tiptoed in an exaggerated, almost Pink Panther manner, before setting the iPhone down in front of me, as I continued with the coffee, like he wasn't there.

 

It was on YouTube, with what looked like a dead pirate from the sixteen-hundreds, like a skeleton. Dove then pressed the play button, and it looked normal, until I caught glimpse of the title.

 

 **'[Fucked With An Anchor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30cKwNm9ThQ)'.** Oh no. ****

It started off with a nice guitar strum, peaceful... until the lyrics came in.

 

"FUCK, you. You're a fucking wanker. We're gonna punch you,  _right_ , in the balls. FUCK, you. With a fucking anchor. You're all cunts so fuck you all." It said, a thick Scottish accent with it, as it began to repeat the lines once more. I had to stop what I was doing, holding the edge of the countertop, lips pursed, as my face turned red, holding in laughter, as I closed my eyes.

 

An instrumental rock part came on, as I took in a deep breath, continuing with the coffee, my chest hurting from holding in laughter. Then... the lyrics came back on.

 

"For thirty odd years, I have lived with this curse. My vocabulary was stunted at birth. By a witch doctor from over the seas. Casting a strange voodoo magic on me. Now when I speak, it's rather absurd. An endless tirade of four-letter words. I lash out in anger at all in my way.  _Shocking_ unspeakable things that I say." A small instrumental part came on, as I braced myself.

 

" _FUCK_ , you! You're a fucking wanker! We're gonna punch you RIGHT in the balls!  _FUCK_ , you! With a fucking anchor! You're all cunts so! FUCK! YOU! ALL!" It repeated the phrase once more, as I set down the decanter hands gripping the edge of the counter, lips pursed, face once again red, eyes nearly wide, as I shook like an earthquake with stifled laughter. I felt a hand on my chest, as I was pushed into a straightened position, my eyes meeting those of Touka's, who's eyes went from concerned to widened eyes that said 'what in the absolute fuck is wrong with you?' I waved a dismissive hand, hunching back over, as Touka removed her hand from my chest. I glared at Dove from the corner of my eyes, who was laughing like a lunatic, taking the iPhone, shutting it off, and disappearing.

 

I took in a deep, shaky breath, still shaking, my chest feeling empty, and cold, from holding in my laughter.

 

'I hate you Dove.'

 

'You're welcome.'

 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Touka asked, as I put the decanter back in the coffee machine, pouring steamed milk on the top, putting everything back. I let out a sigh, before responding.

 

"I'm an orphaned, sexually frustrated, lesbian teenager, that's what's wrong me." I whispered, not wanting others to hear me. Touka looked taken aback, as her face flushed red, before she looked to the mocha I made.

 

"That yours?" She quickly said, trying to change to topic. I hummed a 'yes', as Touka grabbed it, drinking it, before gagging, running over to the sink. Was it _that_ bad? I picked it up, taking a sip. No... it tastes... fine... oh. She's a full-blooded Ghoul, not like me, so the milk or something might have ruined the taste. I let out a small content sigh at the flavor.

 

"Is it good?" Touka asked, as I looked over to her. She was pale, breathing heavily, mouth slightly agape as she held her hair up. I set down the cup, running over to her, to hold up her hair, as she muttered out a small 'thank you'.

 

"It's fine... then again, I've never had a mocha before." I responded. Touka nodded, letting out a sigh, as I could clearly view that she'd thrown up in the sink. There were also some chunks of... what?

 

"Is that flesh?" I whispered, as Touka weakly nodded. She rinsed out her mouth, before standing up, letting out a deep breath. I let go of her hair, bringing her right arm around my shoulder as I guided her to her room, as she shook me off.

 

"No, it's just mocha, I'm fine." She said.

 

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked. Touka grumbled, looking at me from the corner of her eyes, almost with an evil look.

 

"It was just... mocha." She said, shakily standing on her own, facing me, as I deadpanned to her.

 

"Yeah, Europe thought it was just a rat, too." I said, dragging Touka back to her room, setting her down on her bed, before going downstairs to help the others.

 

* * *

 

Now night, it was time to close, as we were officially done with work for the day. I turned the sigh of Anteiku around, as I went back inside, the warm humidity of the Japanese island making my clothes stick to me, as I stepped inside. Everyone had already left, save for Yoshimura, who was upstairs probably doing manager stuff.  Closing the door behind me, looking around the floor, making sure everything was clean for tomorrow, I went back around the counter. Oh right, the diary.

 

I bent down to where I put it. Oh, that God no one touched it. I grabbed it and the pen, taking one last look around the room, before I saw a white coat flash outside from the corner of my eye. Snapping my head to where I saw it, I let out a small sigh. Just my mind playing tricks on me, thankfully. Heading up the stairs, I headed to my room, setting everything down on my bed. I looked behind me, seeing a sleeping Aya. Smiling softly, I closed the door to our room.

 

"Onee-san?" I softly heard, as I turned my head to Aya, jogging over to her bed, I placed a hand softly on her forehead, smiling at her, as she looked at me, our emerald-green eyes staring into the other's.

 

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked, as Aya shook her head.

 

"No, I could smell you." She responded, as I let out a quiet 'oh'. I wrapped my arms around her neck, bringing her up to me, as she did the same. We stayed like that for… literally five minutes or so. Her breathing was steady, and soft, as I felt her grip slowly loosen, as I gently set her back on the bed, adjusting her so she wouldn't be uncomfortable, pulling the blanket over her. I got out of my waitress clothes, literally just in nothing except undergarments, I folded it for tomorrow. I literally slept with nothing on in my old life, but considering I'm sharing a room with my little sister, I think that this might be a little better.

 

Entering the bathroom, I looked at my teeth, which, believe it or not, were still pretty white, even after those months on the streets. I brushed them, the soft bristles of the toothbrush honestly a lot more bearable than what I would normally use, as (Y/N). Finishing, I left, as I sat down on my bed, grabbing the diary and pen, crawling into my sheet, laying on my stomach, moving my pillow out of the way, the open curtains of my window providing moonlight to write, as I began to write, finally, for the first time in my life, putting my retained knowledge of English to good use.

 

**'Okay, so, Dove gave me this diary so I can keep track of things and I don't lose my sanity, as he said. I guess I'd need something like this, to actually spill my feelings out here, so I'll get started on everything. Dove is a friend a have that lives inside my head. I sound like a schizophrenic, I know, but he really gave me this, and is the reason I'm here right ~~~~now. To describe him, he's slightly tanned, dark blue eyes, white hair, light-blue t-shirt, jeans, and red sneakers. For some type of mythical powerful being, he sure is a disappointment when you think of some almighty being. Hell, I wouldn't even go that far.**

 

**Now for me. My name is (Y/N) (M/N) (L/N). I'm (Y/A) years old. Now for the current me. My name is Rei Ishikawa. I'm fourteen years old. I have long black hair, and emerald-green eyes, and my birthday is on March 2nd, 2001. I have a little sister, Aya Ishikawa, who's eleven. She was born on May 12th, 2004, and looks nearly exactly like me, just smaller. We were both born in the Thirteenth Ward, in Tokyo, Japan, and shortly before my sister's birth, we moved to the Twentieth Ward.**

 

**I was brought here by Dove, for some reason, in the world of Tokyo Ghoul. I never asked him why.**

 

**When I was born, I had no idea what was going on, and he's watched over for me in the form of a Dove for most of my life, up until a few months ago, when he revealed who he really was to me. I lived with my new parents, Kyoko, and Akashi Ishikawa. Kyoko was a Ghoul, and my father, Akashi, was a human. Me and Aya are both One-Eyed Ghouls. A few months ago, Ghoul Investigators came to out house and killed my parents, even Akashi. Kuero Mado was one of the Investigators there with them, but I don't think any of them knew of Aya, or I.**

 

**We had to live in an abandoned building off the Twentieth Ward's busy streets. I had to resort to killing humans in order to feed both of us. I think Aya knew everything that was going on, she's not an idiot, but due to us both being one-eyes, we were able to eat human food, so Aya never knew why I was killing people, but she always ate when I told her to.**

 

**After a while, Dove and I agreed to a plan to get us into Anteiku. Yoshimura took us in, after showing him that me and Aya were one eyes. I ended up getting on good terms with Touka Kirishima, quite fast. She's the same age as I am right now, fourteen, as of today. August 15th, 2015. She apparently just recently got into Anteiku, too, and Ayato's just left.**

 

 **I've only been here for three days, pretty much, but I've gotten on a lot of good sides. I tease Touka a lot, both normally and actually teasing her in a, I don't know, blushing manner? I don't know how to word it, but I'll tease her on how nice she looks, or how she's pretty. Okay, there's no normal teasing. I've constantly been teasing her in a'** 'Why am I putting this in the diary?' I thought to myself, sighing slightly, shaking my head, before continuing.  **'flirting manner. Okay, I tease her in a flirting manner, and I flirt in general. I like her, okay? I've not known her for even a week, but I like her. The only thing is, I've retained all knowledge of my past life, so I still know English, which is why this diary is written in the language, and my Tokyo Ghoul knowledge. Touka ends up with Kaneki, anyway, so I can't screw anything up. There would be no reason to state it in the actual show, but I don't even know if she's into females. She's with Kaneki, so she's straight, in a manner, but bi, I don't know. If that's the case, I have to be extra careful.**

 

**And a few minutes ago, when I was looking around the main floor, I swore I saw a white jacket flash by in the corner of my eye, but that could just be me being paranoid. I've had nightmares of Mado, Aya dying, and Anteiku burning, a little too early. I don't like to think about the nightmares, but I still get them.**

 

**I'm going to sleep now, it's been a slow day, but I feel drained for some reason.**

 

**Rei Ishikawa, (Y/N) (L/N)**

**August 15th, 2015'**

 

With that, I closed the diary, feeling slightly better already. How I made no mistakes was beyond me, but I didn't question it. I slid both the pen and diary under the bed, putting the pillow back, getting up and closing all the curtains, before crawling back into bed. I closed my eyes, falling asleep.

 

_**(AN: Me rn[Yeet](http://media.sbmania.net/pictures/103b/289.png)Hope ya'll *Cough* enjoy *Collapses*)** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll be sure to share this, because the Life Hops series will be getting... OH so fucked up soon, and I want many to suffer. *Laughs like a diseased FilthyFrank* Also, be sure to tell me if there's stuff I can do to make it better! Yeeting out.


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